Collaborative Care is a healthcare philosophy and movement focussed on a systematised way of managing care and treatment for people with chronic conditions. Related ideas include: Integrated care, Primary Care Behavioral Health, Integrated care systems, and shared care. There are many studies establishing the long-term clinical and cost-effectiveness of collaborative care for people with physical–mental comorbidity. Nearly half of all people with a diagnosable mental health problem also have a long-term physical condition.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) published an overview of many different models and the research that supports them in 2008.[1] The key features of Collaborative Care models are:
Four key components were identified by Ramanju and Pincus in 2019:
According to Shivam Shah collaborative care is a form of systematic team-based care involving:
There are organisations in many countries promoting these ideas such as the American Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, a multi-guild member association based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which supports healthcare professionals in integrating physical and behavioral health.[4] The University of Washington has an Advancing Integrated Mental Health Solutions Center, founded by Jürgen Unützer, to promote primary care behavioral health.[5]
The Coalition for Collaborative Care was established in England in 2014. It focuses on re-framing the relationship between a person with long-term health conditions and the professionals supporting them.[6]