Nurses’ perception of the applicability of the continuity of care process

Abstract

Introduction: The continuity of care is understood as the adaptation of caregivers and their support network to the new health-disease situation. Objective: To understand nurses’ perception of the applicability of the continuity of care process. Materials and Methods: Study with a qualitative and phenomenological approach. The subjects of the study were nurse coordinators. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Atlas.ti was used for data analysis. Results: The participants partially applied continuity of care due to a lack of clarity of the concept, disconnection between primary health care and specialized care, and administrative limitations.The continuity of care is practiced in a disorganizedandempiricalmanner.Discussion:Thereisaclearneedforimplementingcommunication strategies between the different levels of care to strengthen teamwork and promote patient self-care. Accordingtotheparticipants,theinformationisnotsharedamongthedifferentlevelsofcare,hindering thecontinuityofpatientcare.Conclusions:Theapplicationofthecontinuityofcareprocessisfragmentedanddisorganized.Basedonevidencefromothercountries,theparticipantsrecognizedthatifcontinuity ofcarewereappliedinColombia,itwouldimprovethequalityofservicesandthequalityoflifeofpatients.