Evaluation Methods

Objectives

As new care pathways and services are introduced to support integrated care, there is a clear need to ensure that the changes are having the desired effect on quality of care, cost of care, access and citizen experience. This supports the concept of evidence-based investment, where the impact of each change is evaluated, e.g. by health economists working in universities or in special agencies. Health technology assessment (HTA) is an important method here and can be used to justify the cost of scaling up of integrated care to regional or national level.

• Establishing baselines (on cost, quality, access etc.) in advance of new service introduction.
• Systematically measuring the impact of new services and pathways using appropriate methods (e.g., observational studies, incremental improvement, clinical trials).
• Generating evidence that leads to faster adoption of good practice.