TY - JOUR T1 - Experienced Continuity of Care When Patients See Multiple Clinicians: A Qualitative Metasummary JF - The Annals of Family Medicine JO - Ann Fam Med SP - 262 LP - 271 DO - 10.1370/afm.1499 VL - 11 IS - 3 AU - Jeannie L. Haggerty AU - Danièle Roberge AU - George K. Freeman AU - Christine Beaulieu Y1 - 2013/05/01 UR - http://www.annfammed.org/content/11/3/262.abstract N2 - PURPOSE Continuity of care among different clinicians refers to consistent and coherent care management and good measures are needed. We conducted a metasummary of qualitative studies of patients’ experience with care to identify measurable elements that recur over a variety of contexts and health conditions as the basis for a generic measure of management continuity. METHODS From an initial list of 514 potential studies (1997–2007), 33 met our criteria of using qualitative methods and exploring patients’ experiences of health care from various clinicians over time. They were coded independently. Consensus meetings minimized conceptual overlap between codes. RESULTS For patients, continuity of care is experienced as security and confidence rather than seamlessness. Coordination and information transfer between professionals are assumed until proven otherwise. Care plans help clinician coordination but are rarely discerned as such by patients. Knowing what to expect and having contingency plans provides security. Information transfer includes information given to the patient, especially to support an active role in giving and receiving information, monitoring, and self-management. Having a single trusted clinician who helps navigate the system and sees the patient as a partner undergirds the experience of continuity between clinicians. CONCLUSION Some dimensions of continuity, such as coordination and communication among clinicians, are perceived and best assessed indirectly by patients through failures and gaps (discontinuity). Patients experience continuity directly through receiving information, having confidence and security on the care pathway, and having a relationship with a trusted clinician who anchors continuity. ER -