ABOUT BOOK

"This chapter focus on Norwegian healthcare policies and regulations for ~care coordination and patient safety. The Norwegian Coordination Reform implemented ~in 2012 emphasizes patient engagement, care pathways, and competence ~development in municipal healthcare services. Moreover, protocols for division of ~work tasks and collaboration between specialist and municipal healthcare services ~are key aspects. The reform identifies fragmented health services and the lack of ~coordinated care as main challenges. The authors introduce the concepts of care ~coordination, continuity of care and patient handovers, and relate these to patient ~safety. Results from a Norwegian observational study, identifying factors affecting ~care coordination and patient safety in care transitions between hospital and municipal ~care, are presented. Finally, the authors introduce relevant measures to improve ~care coordination and patient safety, including the regulatory work and follow-up ~of health services through nationwide audits performed by the Norwegian Board of ~Health Supervision."