What does integrated care aim to achieve in the healthcare system?

Integrated care aims to achieve comprehensive treatment for patients by coordinating and combining various services to meet their holistic health needs. This approach recognizes that health issues often involve multiple aspects – physical, psychological, and social – and seeks to provide coordinated support that addresses these dimensions simultaneously. By bringing together different healthcare providers and disciplines, integrated care facilitates better communication and collaboration, ultimately leading to improved health outcomes and a more seamless patient experience.

The focus is on delivering a continuum of care that is patient-centered, thus ensuring that individuals receive the right services at the right time. This is particularly important for managing chronic conditions where multiple specialties may need to work together for the patient’s benefit. Integrating services can also lead to more efficient use of resources, therefore enhancing care quality while potentially reducing costs.

In contrast, the other options do not align with the primary goals of integrated care; they either narrow the focus on cost-saving measures or imply a fragmented approach to health services, which runs counter to the principles of integration.