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Patients with chronic conditions other than mental illness are less likely to be admitted to hospital if their care is co-ordinated, a metanalysis shows. This review of the literature also shows that among the elderly, such strategies decreased emergency department use by 31 per cent.

Care coordination happens when physicians stop being the sole care provider, and a multidisciplinary team (such as social workers, nurses, occupational therapists) work together to take care of a patient.

Original research paper published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal on September 15, 2014.

Names and affiliations of selected authors

Sharon E. Straus, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, St. Michael’s Hospital, Ontario