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Abstract Background Accessibility to efficient and person-centered healthcare delivery drives healthcare transformation in many countries. In Singapore, specialist outpatient clinics (SOCs) are commonly congested due to increasing demands for chronic care. To improve this situation, the National University Health System (NUHS) Regional Health System (RHS) started an integrated care initiative,the Right-Site Care (RSC) program in 2014. Through collaborations between SOCs at the National University Hospital and primary and community care (PCC) clinics in the western region of the county, the program was designed to facilitate timely discharge and appropriate transition of patients, who no longer required specialist care, to the community. The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation fidelity of the NUHS RHS RSC program using the modified Conceptual Framework for Implementation Fidelity (CFIF), at three distinct levels; providers, organizational, and system levels to explain outcomes of the program and to inform further development of (similar) programs. Methods A convergent parallel mixed methods study using the realist evaluation approach was used. Data were collected between 2016 and 2018 through non-participatory observations, reviews of medical records and program database, together with semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers. Triangulation of data streams was applied guided by the modified CFIF. Results Our findings showed four out of six program components were implemented with low level of fidelity, and 9112 suitable patients were referred to the program while 3032 (33.3%) declined to be enrolled. Moderating factors found to influence fidelity included: (i) complexity of program, (ii) evolving providers’ responsiveness, (iii) facilitation through synergistic partnership, training of PCC providers by specialists and supportive structures: care coordinators, guiding protocols, shared electronic medical record and shared pharmacy, (iv) lack of organization reinforcement, and (v) mismatch between program goals, healthcare financing and providers’ reimbursement. Conclusion Functional integration alone is insufficient for a successful right-site care program implementation. Improvement in relationships between providers, organizations, and patients are also warranted for further development of the program.

Transitional care encompasses a range of services designed to promote care integration as patients transfer between different locations or different levels of care. Transitional care programmes have been proven to produce positive outcomes in reducing hospital readmissions and improving patients’ health outcomes. However, little is known about the benefits of the programmes on healthcare cost and the published results have been inconsistent. With increasing healthcare expenditures and limited public healthcare resources, cost-benefit analyses become paramount in informing healthcare resource allocation decisions. This perspective paper describes the approaches used in estimating the total costs of a bundle of transitional care services from an academic medical centre, identifies the key methodological challenges encountered in the process of cost-benefit analysis, and recommends potential solutions to tackle these challenges. By providing a comprehensive perspective on the methodological challenges, this paper encourages program evaluators to take these possible challenges into consideration for future cost-benefit analyses.

IntroductionThe aim of this study is to explore patients' experiences with community-based care programmes (CCPs) and develop dimensions of patient experience salient to community-based care in Singapore. Most countries like Singapore are transforming its healthcare system from a hospital-centric model to a person-centered community-based care model to better manage the increasing chronic disease burden resulting from an ageing population. It is thus critical to understand the impact of hospital to community transitions from the patients' perspective. The exploration of patient experience will guide the development of an instrument for the evaluation of CCPs for quality improvement purposes.MethodsA qualitative exploratory study was conducted where face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted using a purposive sampling method with patients enrolled in CCPs. In total, 64 participants aged between 41 to 94 years were recruited. A deductive framework was developed using the Picker Patient Experience instrument to guide our analysis. Inductive coding was also conducted which resulted in emergence of new themes.ResultsOur findings highlighted eight key themes of patient experience: i) ensuring care continuity, ii) involvement of family, iii) access to emotional support, vi) ensuring physical comfort, v) coordination of services between providers, vi) providing patient education, vii) importance of respect for patients, and viii) healthcare financing.ConclusionOur results demonstrated that patient experience is multi-faceted, and dimensions of patient experience vary according to healthcare settings. As most patient experience frameworks were developed based on a single care setting in western populations, our findings can inform the development of a culturally relevant instrument to measure patient experience of community-based care for a multi-ethnic Asian context.