Nordic School of Public Health, P.O. Box 12133, SE-402 42 Göteborg, Sweden.
Int J Integr Care. 2009;9:e03. doi: 10.5334/ijic.304. Epub 2009 Feb 26.
DELTA was launched as a project in 1997 to improve intersectoral collaboration in the rehabilitation field. In 2005 DELTA was transformed into a local association for financial co-ordination between the institutions involved. Based on a study of the DELTA service users, the purpose of this article is to develop and to validate a model that can be used to assess the integration of welfare services from the perspective of the service users.
The foundation of integration is a well functioning structure of integration. Without such structural conditions, it is difficult to develop a process of integration that combines the resources and competences of the collaborating organisations to create services advantageous for the service users. In this way, both the structure and the process will contribute to the outcome of integration.
The study was carried out as a retrospective cross-sectional survey during two weeks, including all the current service users of DELTA. The questionnaire contained 32 questions, which were derived from the theoretical framework and research on service users, capturing perceptions of integration structure, process and outcome. Ordinal scales and open questions where used for the assessment.
The survey had a response rate of 82% and no serious biases of the results were detected. The study shows that the users of the rehabilitation services perceived the services as well integrated, relevant and adapted to their needs. The assessment model was tested for reliability and validity and a few modifications were suggested. Some key measurement themes were derived from the study.
The model developed in this study is an important step towards an assessment of service integration from the perspective of the service users. It needs to be further refined, however, before it can be used in other evaluations of collaboration in the provision of integrated welfare services.
DELTA 项目于 1997 年启动，旨在改善康复领域的部门间协作。2005 年，DELTA 转型为一个地方协会，负责协调相关机构之间的财务。基于对 DELTA 服务使用者的研究，本文旨在开发和验证一个模型，用于从服务使用者的角度评估福利服务的整合。
整合的基础是一个运作良好的整合结构。没有这种结构性条件，就很难发展一种整合过程，将合作组织的资源和能力结合起来，为服务使用者创造有利的服务。这样，结构和过程都将有助于整合的结果。
该研究是在两周内进行的回顾性横断面调查，包括 DELTA 的所有当前服务使用者。问卷包含 32 个问题，这些问题源自理论框架和对服务使用者的研究，捕捉对整合结构、过程和结果的看法。采用了有序量表和开放式问题进行评估。
调查的回复率为 82%，没有发现结果存在严重偏差。研究表明，康复服务的使用者认为这些服务整合良好，相关且适应他们的需求。评估模型经过了可靠性和有效性的测试，并提出了一些修改建议。从研究中得出了一些关键的测量主题。
本研究开发的模型是从服务使用者的角度评估服务整合的重要步骤。然而，在将其用于评估综合福利服务提供方面的合作的其他评估之前，还需要进一步完善。
