Effective collaboration between healthcare professionals often makes all the difference when it comes to complex care and support needs. But what exactly do the benefits of interprofessional collaboration mean for patients and healthcare providers? To investigate this, these two projects by IQ Health have been funded by ZonMw:
IRiS: Interprofessional Collaboration between Reablement stakeholders: a realist evaluation
Project leader Carola Döpp and principal applicant Maud Graff (Radboudumc)
Paramedical Care 2023–2026
Elderly care in the Netherlands faces growing pressure due to ageing, rising costs, and staff shortages. Reablement is a method of supporting older people to remain as independent as possible, which also fits within the policy of appropriate care. It is based on “doing with” rather than “caring for”. Reablement has already been applied by care organisations Mijzo and De Wever in Mid- and West-Brabant, both at home and in nursing homes. Although experiences are positive, it is still unclear exactly how and for whom reablement works best.
Project leader Koen Verburg and applicant Philip van der Wees (Radboudumc)
Paramedical Care 2023–2026
Rondom-Diabeter is a collaboration between lifestyle coaches, dietitians, and diabetes nurses who support and guide people with type 1 diabetes in achieving a healthy lifestyle. They are active in 5 different regions of the Netherlands. Keeping blood glucose levels under control with the help of insulin is extremely important for people with type 1 diabetes. Lifestyle coaching helps individuals find a good balance between insulin use, healthy eating, and getting enough physical activity and exercise. That balance is especially difficult for people with a low income or limited health literacy.
Read more: Effect van interprofessioneel samenwerken in de eerste lijn | Zon (Dutch only)