ArticleBMC family practice2012
Heart failure patients' experiences with continuity of care and its relation to medication adherence: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMC family practice, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.
- Questionnaires that measure the quality of relationships between patients and primary care providers: a systematic review.BMC health services research · 2018Pooled it
- Trial
- Association between continuity of care and detection of hypertension in Dutch general practice: a 10-year cohort study.BMJ open · 2026Article
- Associations of care continuity and care coordination with the overuse of healthcare services: a nationwide population-based study.BMC health services research · 2024Article
- Patterns of publicly funded naltrexone use among patients diagnosed with alcohol use disorder in Ontario.Alcohol and alcoholism (Oxford, Oxfordshire) · 2024Article
- Patients' Perceived Continuity of Care and Adherence to Oral Anticancer Therapy: a Prospective Cohort Mediation Study.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Article
- Patients' Perception of Factors Influencing Noncompliance with Medication among Cardiac Patients in Fiji: A Qualitative Study.Patient preference and adherence · 2021Article
- Relational coordination in interprofessional teams and its effect on patient-reported benefit and continuity of care: a prospective cohort study from rehabilitation centres in Western Norway.BMC health services research · 2018Article
- Association between interpersonal continuity of care and medication adherence in type 2 diabetes: an observational cohort study.CMAJ open · 2017Article
- Unplanned admissions and the organisational management of heart failure: a multicentre ethnographic, qualitative study.BMJ open · 2015Article
- Patient safety and the control of time in primary care: A review of the French tempos framework by the LINNEAUS collaboration on patient safety in primary care.The European journal of general practice · 2015Review
- Personal Continuity and Appropriate Prescribing in Primary Care.Annals of family medicineObservational
- Developing IntegRATE: a fast and frugal patient-reported measure of integration in health care delivery.International journal of integrated careArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundA growing number of health care providers are nowadays involved in heart failure care. This could lead to discontinuity and fragmentation of care, thus reducing trust and hence poorer medication adherence. This study aims to explore heart failure patients' experiences with continuity of care, and its relation to medication adherence.
methodsWe collected data from 327 primary care patients with chronic heart failure. Experienced continuity of care was measured using a patient questionnaire and by reviewing patients' medical records. Continuity of care was defined as a multidimensional concept including personal continuity (seeing the same doctor every time), team continuity (collaboration between care providers in general practice) and cross-boundary continuity (collaboration between general practice and hospital). Medication adherence was measured using a validated patient questionnaire. The relation between continuity of care and medication adherence was analysed by using chi-square tests.
resultsIn total, 53% of patients stated not seeing any care provider in general practice in the last year concerning their heart failure. Of the patients who did contact a care provider in general practice, 46% contacted two or more care providers. Respectively 38% and 51% of patients experienced the highest levels of team and cross-boundary continuity. In total, 14% experienced low levels of team continuity and 11% experienced low levels of cross-boundary continuity. Higher scores on personal continuity were significantly related to better medication adherence (p < 0.01). No clear relation was found between team- or cross-boundary continuity and medication adherence.
conclusionsA small majority of patients that contacted a care provider in general practice for their heart failure, contacted only one care provider. Most heart failure patients experienced high levels of collaboration between care providers in general practice and between GP and cardiologist. However, in a considerable number of patients, continuity of care could still be improved. Efforts to improve personal continuity may lead to better medication adherence.
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