This thesis explores the spatial patterns and determinants of asthma prevalence and health services use (ICD-10 codes J45, J46) for the total population (all ages and both sexes combined) of the province of Ontario, Canada, between 2003 and 2013. Asthma is characterized by high health services use and reduced quality of life for asthma sufferers, representing a considerable burden on individuals, society and the health care system. While recent evidence suggests increasing asthma prevalence in Ontario, little research has been done to understand the identified spatial variability of this disease. Using population-based, ecological-level data and refined spatial analysis techniques, this research aims to explore the spatial patterns of asthma prevalence and health services use in Ontario, and examine the contribution of potential risk factors including air pollution, pollen, deprivation, physician supply and rurality. Results indicated considerable spatial variability in asthma outcomes across Ontario. Similar patterns were found between asthma prevalence and physician visits; clusters of high rates were generally found in southern urban/suburban areas, and clusters of low rates were mainly identified in most northern and southern rural areas. Conversely, clusters of high rates of ED visits and hospitalizations were found in most northern and southern rural areas, whereas clusters of low rates were found in south urban/suburban areas near Toronto. Findings from the spatial regression analysis indicated that while rurality was negatively associated with asthma prevalence and physician visits, it was positively associated with ED visits. Moreover, positive associations were also found between material deprivation and asthma prevalence and ED visits, and between NO2 and asthma physician visits. This research contributes to a better understanding of area characteristics that influence asthma disparities, which can help develop better, locally relevant public health strategies aimed at reducing the burden of asthma in Ontario. Further, it demonstrates the importance of using a population-based framework and spatial analysis approaches, which take into account the spatial nature of asthma morbidity and their determinants.

Over the last couple of decades changes to pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) care may have altered health services use among these children. I used a retrospective matched cohort design and population-based health administrative data to first quantify trends in IBD health services and surgical outcomes in Ontario IBD children diagnosed between 1994-2012. I then used these results to validate the distributed network analysis method – a method being increasingly used in Canadian multi-province studies where privacy regulations prevent sharing of individual-level data across provincial borders - using Ontario’s Local Health Integration Networks. I found (1) decreasing hospitalizations and surgical outcomes but increasing outpatient visit rates, suggesting changing patterns of health care use in Ontario children with IBD, and, (2) distributed network analyses is a satisfactory privacy-preserving alternative to individual-level analysis under the conditions tested in my study, providing a tested analysis method for researchers using multi-jurisdictional data.

People´s access to safe health care is not as common as one might think. Today with new and different health insurances and improved health policies people should in theory have safe health care. Although numerous of health insurances exist, targeting large parts of populations, there are still many issues with them. The Behavioural Model of Health Services Use and Separate Spheres are the two theories that are used in this study. Where Separate Spheres describes men´s and women´s separate worlds, their responsibilities in them and how it effects them and the Behavioural Model of Health Services Use, which describes factors that either impede or enable people’s access to health care utilization. This study´s purpose is to see what different perceptions men and women have about the insurance and how these perceptions can affect families’ choice to enroll to the insurance. The study uses a qualitative approach and is based on semi-structured interviews. Results in this study showed that men and women have very different perceptions about the insurance. Men want the insurance because they want to save money and decrease health expenses. While women wants the insurance for their children to always have access to health care. The roles between men and women in households are significant and their different responsibilities affect their priorities and perceptions.

In 2000, midwifery was regulated in the Canadian province of Manitoba. Since the inception of the midwifery program, little formal research has analyzed the utilization of regulated midwifery services. Currently, many women are denied access to midwifery care due to the shortage of midwives in Manitoba. The specific objectives of this mixed-methods case study were to describe the utilization of midwifery health care services in Manitoba from 2001/02 to 2009/10 and to explore factors influencing the implementation and utilization of regulated midwifery services in Manitoba. The study was guided by the Behavioral Model of Health Services Use (Andersen, 1995). Data collection and analysis were an iterative process between documents, interviews, and administrative data. The quantitative analysis used the population-based administrative data housed at the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy to study the utilization of midwifery care. There was modest growth in the overall rate of midwifery-attended births, as well as in the number of midwives over the 10-year time period. Twenty-four key informants were purposefully selected to participate in semi-structured interviews for the qualitative component. Interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis. Three main topic areas were identified: barriers, facilitators, and future strategies/recommendations. Themes arising under barriers included conflict and power; lack of an educational program; perceptions of the profession, and a precarious profession. Issues of gender underpinned some of these barriers. Constituent influence was a prominent facilitator of the profession. Future strategies for sustaining the midwifery profession focused on ensuring avenues for registration and education, improving management strategies and accountability frameworks, enhancing the work environment, and evaluating the model of practice and employment. Results of the document analysis supported the themes arising from the interviews. In spite of scientific evidence that supports the midwifery model of care, there remains an inherent struggle to justify the profession and ensure its widespread implementation in Manitoba. The findings have implications for maternal child health professionals working on collaborative efforts to facilitate access to midwifery services for women. This study adds to the growing body of literature related to midwifery in Canada.

Attendance at Neonatal Follow-up (NFU) programs is crucial for parents to gain access to timely diagnostic expertise, psychosocial support, and referral to needed services for their infants. Although NFU programs are considered beneficial, up to 50% of parents do not attend these programs with their infants. Non-attending infants have poorer outcomes (e.g., higher rates of disabilities and less access to required services) as compared to attenders. The purpose was to determine factors that predicted attendance at NFU. Naturally occurring attendance was monitored and maternal-infant factors including predisposing, enabling, and needs factors were investigated, guided by the Socio-Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. A prospective two-phase multi-site descriptive cohort study was conducted in 3 Canadian Neonatal Intensive Care Units that refer to 2 NFU programs. In Phase 1, standardized questionnaires were completed by 357 mothers (66% response rate) prior to their infant’s (N= 400 infants) NICU discharge. In Phase 2, attendance patterns at NFU were followed for 12 months. Higher maternal stress at the time of the infant’s NICU hospitalization was predictive of attendance at NFU. Parenting alone, more worry about maternal alcohol or drug use, and greater distance to NFU were predictive of non-attendance at NFU. Attendance at NFU decreased over time from 84% at the first appointment to 74% by 12 months. Two distinct attendance patterns emerged: no or minimal attendance (18.5%) and attendance at all or the majority of scheduled appointments (81.5%). The most frequent point of withdrawal from NFU occurred between NICU discharge and the first scheduled appointment; followed by drop-out following the first NFU appointment. These results provide new insight into patterns of attendance and the maternal-infant factors that characterize attenders/non-attenders at NFU and serve as the critical first step in developing interventions targeted at improving attendance, infant outcomes, and reporting of developmental sequelae.

Attendance at Neonatal Follow-up (NFU) programs is crucial for parents to gain access to timely diagnostic expertise, psychosocial support, and referral to needed services for their infants. Although NFU programs are considered beneficial, up to 50% of parents do not attend these programs with their infants. Non-attending infants have poorer outcomes (e.g., higher rates of disabilities and less access to required services) as compared to attenders. The purpose was to determine factors that predicted attendance at NFU. Naturally occurring attendance was monitored and maternal-infant factors including predisposing, enabling, and needs factors were investigated, guided by the Socio-Behavioral Model of Health Services Use. A prospective two-phase multi-site descriptive cohort study was conducted in 3 Canadian Neonatal Intensive Care Units that refer to 2 NFU programs. In Phase 1, standardized questionnaires were completed by 357 mothers (66% response rate) prior to their infant’s (N= 400 infants) NICU discharge. In Phase 2, attendance patterns at NFU were followed for 12 months. Higher maternal stress at the time of the infant’s NICU hospitalization was predictive of attendance at NFU. Parenting alone, more worry about maternal alcohol or drug use, and greater distance to NFU were predictive of non-attendance at NFU. Attendance at NFU decreased over time from 84% at the first appointment to 74% by 12 months. Two distinct attendance patterns emerged: no or minimal attendance (18.5%) and attendance at all or the majority of scheduled appointments (81.5%). The most frequent point of withdrawal from NFU occurred between NICU discharge and the first scheduled appointment; followed by drop-out following the first NFU appointment. These results provide new insight into patterns of attendance and the maternal-infant factors that characterize attenders/non-attenders at NFU and serve as the critical first step in developing interventions targeted at improving attendance, infant outcomes, and reporting of developmental sequelae.

No Sistema Único de Saúde a regionalização é considerada uma macroestratégia para a organização dos serviços de saúde em um dado território. Sua implementação pressupõe a conformação de sistemas funcionais e hierarquizados que garantam a universalidade, a integralidade, a equidade e resolutividade aos usuários. Na assistência hospitalar, dada a complexidade dos serviços e o pequeno porte da maioria dos municípios brasileiros que não dispõem de condições para ofertar todos os níveis de complexidade em seu território, a regionalização assume relevância na organização dessa rede. O presente estudo busca analisar, sob à perspectiva da regionalização, os fluxos de serviços hospitalares em municípios da Metade Sul do Rio Grande do Sul, por meio do perfil das internações e mobilidade de usuários no período 2000 a 2006. Caracteriza-se como epidemiológico, descritivo e exploratório para o qual se utilizou o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares,associado ao Plano Diretor de Regionalização (PDR) elaborado pela Secretaria Estadual da Saúde como documento que expressa a política e o desenho da regionalização, possibilitou uma análise espacial das microrregiões e macrorregiões às quais pertencem os municípios, através do geoprocessamento das internações hospitalares. A análise da capacidade instalada, do perfil e do fluxo das internações não aponta para a ampliação do acesso às ações e serviços de saúde hospitalares entre os municípios no período estudado. A resolutividade e algumas especificidades encontradas demonstram potencial para aumentar o desempenho dos municípios, como a adoção de políticas públicas que incidam no modelo de atenção desenvolvido pelo município. Há necessidade de reavaliação e readequação permanente do processo de regionalização, a refletir os avanços conquistados e as necessidades e dificuldades persistentes. Propõe-se uma maior coordenação e integração entre os instrumentos organizativos da regionalização: PDR, PPI e PDI. A regionalização como princípio organizacional do SUS, não pode prescindir da união, da participação e do esforço coletivo de gestores, técnicos e estudiosos. Só assim, superando verticalizações, tecendo redes e acordando pactuações, se alcançará a universalidade do acesso, a equidade, a integralidade e resolutividade. / At SUS, regionalization is considered a macro strategy to the organization of health services in a given territory. Its implementation requires the conformation of functional, prioritized systems to ensure universality, comprehensiveness, fairness and resolution to users. Hospital care, given the complexity of services and the small size of most Brazilian towns, where there are no conditions to offer all levels of complexity in their area, the regionalization is relevant in this network organization. This study assesses, in light of regionalization flows of hospital services in towns in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, through the profile of admissions and mobility of users in the period 2000-2006. It is characterized as epidemiological, descriptive and exploratory, and we used for it the Hospital Information System, associated to Director Plan Regionalization – PDR, prepared by the State Department of Health as a document that expresses policy and the design of regionalization, it allowed a spatial analysis of the micro and macro regions to which the municipalities belong, through geoprocessing of hospital admissions. The analysis of capacity, profile and flow of admissions does not point to expanding access to actions and hospital health services among municipalities in the period of the study. The resolution and some specificities we found showed the potential to increase the performance of municipalities, such as adoption of public policies that address health care model developed by the municipality. There is need for reassessment and readjustment of the process of regionalization, to reflect the achievements and the needs and difficulties persisted. We proposed that greater coordination and integration among the tools of organizational regionalization: PDR, PPI and PDI. Regionalization as an organizing principle at SUS cannot do without union participation and collective efforts of managers, technicians and scholars. Only then, overcoming verticalizations, creating networks and agreeing pacts, we will be able to achieve universal access, fairness, completeness and resolution. / En el SUS, la regionalización es considerada una macro estrategia para la organización de los dos servicios de salud en un determinado territorio. Su implementación presupone la conformación de sistemas funcionales y jerarquizados que asegure la universalidad, la integralidad, la equidad y resolutividad a los usuarios. En la asistencia hospitalaria, dada la complexidad de los servicios y el pequeño porte de la mayoría de los municipios brasileños que no disponen de condiciones para ofrecer todos los niveles de complexidad en su territorio, la regionalización asume relevancia en la organización de esa red. El presente estudio busca analizar, a la luz de la regionalización, los flujos de servicios hospitalarios en las municipalidades de la Metade Sul del Rio Grande do Sul, por medio del perfil de las internaciones y movilidad de usuarios en el período 2000 hasta 2006. Se caracteriza como epidemiológico, descriptivo y exploratorio para el cual se utilizó el Sistemas de Informaciones Hospitalarios, asociado al Plano Director de Regionalización (PDR) elaborado por la Secretaría de Estado de la Salud como un documento que expresa la política y el dibujo de la regionalización posibilitó un análisis espacial de las micro y macro-regiones a las cuales pertenecen los municipios, a través de geoprocesamiento de las hospitalizaciones. El análisis de la capacidad instalada, del perfil y del flujo de las internaciones no destaca la ampliación del acceso a las acciones y servicios de salud hospitalarios entre los municipios en el período estudiado. La resolutividad y algunas especificidades encontradas, demuestran potencial para aumentar el desempeño de los municipios como la adopción de políticas públicas que incidan en el modelo de atención desarrollado por la municipalidad. Hay la necesidad de reevaluación y readecuación permanente del proceso de regionalización, a reflejar los avances conquistados y las necesidades y dificultades persistentes. Se propone una mayor coordinación e integración entre los instrumentos organizativos de la regionalización: PDR, PPI y PDI. La regionalización como principio organizacional del SUS, no puede prescindir de la unión, de la participación, y del esfuerzo colectivo de gestores, técnicos y estudiosos. Solamente así, superando verticalizaciones, tejiendo redes y acordando pactos, se alcanzara la universalidad del acceso, la equidad, la integralidad y solutividad.

No Sistema Único de Saúde a regionalização é considerada uma macroestratégia para a organização dos serviços de saúde em um dado território. Sua implementação pressupõe a conformação de sistemas funcionais e hierarquizados que garantam a universalidade, a integralidade, a equidade e resolutividade aos usuários. Na assistência hospitalar, dada a complexidade dos serviços e o pequeno porte da maioria dos municípios brasileiros que não dispõem de condições para ofertar todos os níveis de complexidade em seu território, a regionalização assume relevância na organização dessa rede. O presente estudo busca analisar, sob à perspectiva da regionalização, os fluxos de serviços hospitalares em municípios da Metade Sul do Rio Grande do Sul, por meio do perfil das internações e mobilidade de usuários no período 2000 a 2006. Caracteriza-se como epidemiológico, descritivo e exploratório para o qual se utilizou o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares,associado ao Plano Diretor de Regionalização (PDR) elaborado pela Secretaria Estadual da Saúde como documento que expressa a política e o desenho da regionalização, possibilitou uma análise espacial das microrregiões e macrorregiões às quais pertencem os municípios, através do geoprocessamento das internações hospitalares. A análise da capacidade instalada, do perfil e do fluxo das internações não aponta para a ampliação do acesso às ações e serviços de saúde hospitalares entre os municípios no período estudado. A resolutividade e algumas especificidades encontradas demonstram potencial para aumentar o desempenho dos municípios, como a adoção de políticas públicas que incidam no modelo de atenção desenvolvido pelo município. Há necessidade de reavaliação e readequação permanente do processo de regionalização, a refletir os avanços conquistados e as necessidades e dificuldades persistentes. Propõe-se uma maior coordenação e integração entre os instrumentos organizativos da regionalização: PDR, PPI e PDI. A regionalização como princípio organizacional do SUS, não pode prescindir da união, da participação e do esforço coletivo de gestores, técnicos e estudiosos. Só assim, superando verticalizações, tecendo redes e acordando pactuações, se alcançará a universalidade do acesso, a equidade, a integralidade e resolutividade. / At SUS, regionalization is considered a macro strategy to the organization of health services in a given territory. Its implementation requires the conformation of functional, prioritized systems to ensure universality, comprehensiveness, fairness and resolution to users. Hospital care, given the complexity of services and the small size of most Brazilian towns, where there are no conditions to offer all levels of complexity in their area, the regionalization is relevant in this network organization. This study assesses, in light of regionalization flows of hospital services in towns in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, through the profile of admissions and mobility of users in the period 2000-2006. It is characterized as epidemiological, descriptive and exploratory, and we used for it the Hospital Information System, associated to Director Plan Regionalization – PDR, prepared by the State Department of Health as a document that expresses policy and the design of regionalization, it allowed a spatial analysis of the micro and macro regions to which the municipalities belong, through geoprocessing of hospital admissions. The analysis of capacity, profile and flow of admissions does not point to expanding access to actions and hospital health services among municipalities in the period of the study. The resolution and some specificities we found showed the potential to increase the performance of municipalities, such as adoption of public policies that address health care model developed by the municipality. There is need for reassessment and readjustment of the process of regionalization, to reflect the achievements and the needs and difficulties persisted. We proposed that greater coordination and integration among the tools of organizational regionalization: PDR, PPI and PDI. Regionalization as an organizing principle at SUS cannot do without union participation and collective efforts of managers, technicians and scholars. Only then, overcoming verticalizations, creating networks and agreeing pacts, we will be able to achieve universal access, fairness, completeness and resolution. / En el SUS, la regionalización es considerada una macro estrategia para la organización de los dos servicios de salud en un determinado territorio. Su implementación presupone la conformación de sistemas funcionales y jerarquizados que asegure la universalidad, la integralidad, la equidad y resolutividad a los usuarios. En la asistencia hospitalaria, dada la complexidad de los servicios y el pequeño porte de la mayoría de los municipios brasileños que no disponen de condiciones para ofrecer todos los niveles de complexidad en su territorio, la regionalización asume relevancia en la organización de esa red. El presente estudio busca analizar, a la luz de la regionalización, los flujos de servicios hospitalarios en las municipalidades de la Metade Sul del Rio Grande do Sul, por medio del perfil de las internaciones y movilidad de usuarios en el período 2000 hasta 2006. Se caracteriza como epidemiológico, descriptivo y exploratorio para el cual se utilizó el Sistemas de Informaciones Hospitalarios, asociado al Plano Director de Regionalización (PDR) elaborado por la Secretaría de Estado de la Salud como un documento que expresa la política y el dibujo de la regionalización posibilitó un análisis espacial de las micro y macro-regiones a las cuales pertenecen los municipios, a través de geoprocesamiento de las hospitalizaciones. El análisis de la capacidad instalada, del perfil y del flujo de las internaciones no destaca la ampliación del acceso a las acciones y servicios de salud hospitalarios entre los municipios en el período estudiado. La resolutividad y algunas especificidades encontradas, demuestran potencial para aumentar el desempeño de los municipios como la adopción de políticas públicas que incidan en el modelo de atención desarrollado por la municipalidad. Hay la necesidad de reevaluación y readecuación permanente del proceso de regionalización, a reflejar los avances conquistados y las necesidades y dificultades persistentes. Se propone una mayor coordinación e integración entre los instrumentos organizativos de la regionalización: PDR, PPI y PDI. La regionalización como principio organizacional del SUS, no puede prescindir de la unión, de la participación, y del esfuerzo colectivo de gestores, técnicos y estudiosos. Solamente así, superando verticalizaciones, tejiendo redes y acordando pactos, se alcanzara la universalidad del acceso, la equidad, la integralidad y solutividad.

No Sistema Único de Saúde a regionalização é considerada uma macroestratégia para a organização dos serviços de saúde em um dado território. Sua implementação pressupõe a conformação de sistemas funcionais e hierarquizados que garantam a universalidade, a integralidade, a equidade e resolutividade aos usuários. Na assistência hospitalar, dada a complexidade dos serviços e o pequeno porte da maioria dos municípios brasileiros que não dispõem de condições para ofertar todos os níveis de complexidade em seu território, a regionalização assume relevância na organização dessa rede. O presente estudo busca analisar, sob à perspectiva da regionalização, os fluxos de serviços hospitalares em municípios da Metade Sul do Rio Grande do Sul, por meio do perfil das internações e mobilidade de usuários no período 2000 a 2006. Caracteriza-se como epidemiológico, descritivo e exploratório para o qual se utilizou o Sistema de Informações Hospitalares,associado ao Plano Diretor de Regionalização (PDR) elaborado pela Secretaria Estadual da Saúde como documento que expressa a política e o desenho da regionalização, possibilitou uma análise espacial das microrregiões e macrorregiões às quais pertencem os municípios, através do geoprocessamento das internações hospitalares. A análise da capacidade instalada, do perfil e do fluxo das internações não aponta para a ampliação do acesso às ações e serviços de saúde hospitalares entre os municípios no período estudado. A resolutividade e algumas especificidades encontradas demonstram potencial para aumentar o desempenho dos municípios, como a adoção de políticas públicas que incidam no modelo de atenção desenvolvido pelo município. Há necessidade de reavaliação e readequação permanente do processo de regionalização, a refletir os avanços conquistados e as necessidades e dificuldades persistentes. Propõe-se uma maior coordenação e integração entre os instrumentos organizativos da regionalização: PDR, PPI e PDI. A regionalização como princípio organizacional do SUS, não pode prescindir da união, da participação e do esforço coletivo de gestores, técnicos e estudiosos. Só assim, superando verticalizações, tecendo redes e acordando pactuações, se alcançará a universalidade do acesso, a equidade, a integralidade e resolutividade. / At SUS, regionalization is considered a macro strategy to the organization of health services in a given territory. Its implementation requires the conformation of functional, prioritized systems to ensure universality, comprehensiveness, fairness and resolution to users. Hospital care, given the complexity of services and the small size of most Brazilian towns, where there are no conditions to offer all levels of complexity in their area, the regionalization is relevant in this network organization. This study assesses, in light of regionalization flows of hospital services in towns in the south of Rio Grande do Sul, through the profile of admissions and mobility of users in the period 2000-2006. It is characterized as epidemiological, descriptive and exploratory, and we used for it the Hospital Information System, associated to Director Plan Regionalization – PDR, prepared by the State Department of Health as a document that expresses policy and the design of regionalization, it allowed a spatial analysis of the micro and macro regions to which the municipalities belong, through geoprocessing of hospital admissions. The analysis of capacity, profile and flow of admissions does not point to expanding access to actions and hospital health services among municipalities in the period of the study. The resolution and some specificities we found showed the potential to increase the performance of municipalities, such as adoption of public policies that address health care model developed by the municipality. There is need for reassessment and readjustment of the process of regionalization, to reflect the achievements and the needs and difficulties persisted. We proposed that greater coordination and integration among the tools of organizational regionalization: PDR, PPI and PDI. Regionalization as an organizing principle at SUS cannot do without union participation and collective efforts of managers, technicians and scholars. Only then, overcoming verticalizations, creating networks and agreeing pacts, we will be able to achieve universal access, fairness, completeness and resolution. / En el SUS, la regionalización es considerada una macro estrategia para la organización de los dos servicios de salud en un determinado territorio. Su implementación presupone la conformación de sistemas funcionales y jerarquizados que asegure la universalidad, la integralidad, la equidad y resolutividad a los usuarios. En la asistencia hospitalaria, dada la complexidad de los servicios y el pequeño porte de la mayoría de los municipios brasileños que no disponen de condiciones para ofrecer todos los niveles de complexidad en su territorio, la regionalización asume relevancia en la organización de esa red. El presente estudio busca analizar, a la luz de la regionalización, los flujos de servicios hospitalarios en las municipalidades de la Metade Sul del Rio Grande do Sul, por medio del perfil de las internaciones y movilidad de usuarios en el período 2000 hasta 2006. Se caracteriza como epidemiológico, descriptivo y exploratorio para el cual se utilizó el Sistemas de Informaciones Hospitalarios, asociado al Plano Director de Regionalización (PDR) elaborado por la Secretaría de Estado de la Salud como un documento que expresa la política y el dibujo de la regionalización posibilitó un análisis espacial de las micro y macro-regiones a las cuales pertenecen los municipios, a través de geoprocesamiento de las hospitalizaciones. El análisis de la capacidad instalada, del perfil y del flujo de las internaciones no destaca la ampliación del acceso a las acciones y servicios de salud hospitalarios entre los municipios en el período estudiado. La resolutividad y algunas especificidades encontradas, demuestran potencial para aumentar el desempeño de los municipios como la adopción de políticas públicas que incidan en el modelo de atención desarrollado por la municipalidad. Hay la necesidad de reevaluación y readecuación permanente del proceso de regionalización, a reflejar los avances conquistados y las necesidades y dificultades persistentes. Se propone una mayor coordinación e integración entre los instrumentos organizativos de la regionalización: PDR, PPI y PDI. La regionalización como principio organizacional del SUS, no puede prescindir de la unión, de la participación, y del esfuerzo colectivo de gestores, técnicos y estudiosos. Solamente así, superando verticalizaciones, tejiendo redes y acordando pactos, se alcanzara la universalidad del acceso, la equidad, la integralidad y solutividad.

Introduction Transition care clinics (TCCs) have proven to be effective in meeting the time-sensitive needs of patients in the post-discharge period and ensuring smooth transitions of patients from hospital to home. These clinics have led to lower readmissions, lower emergency department visits, cost savings, and lower rates of other adverse events following discharge. However, TCCs, including the East Tennessee State University Family Medicine (ETSU-FM) TCC have been facing high rates of patient no-shows. Aim The aim of this dissertation is to identify the different components and outcomes of TCC based on the literature. We further aim to analyze the TCC implementation process at the ETSU-FM clinic, identify gaps, and provide recommendations to address those gaps. Methods A scoping review was conducted using three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, and PsycINFO) searches while following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews Checklist to identify different components of TCCs and the associated outcomes. Additionally, a mixed-methods study was conducted using patients and providers from the ETSU-FM clinic to identify different factors associated with patients’ no-shows to scheduled TCC appointments. Results Eighteen studies were analyzed and TCC components and patients’ outcomes were assessed. Predischarge communication with patients and caregivers, early post-discharge contacts, etc. were identified as some of the effective components of TCC. Our review also highlighted that TCC resulted in lower readmissions, lower ED visits, and cost-effectiveness. For the mixed-methods study, we included 520 patients in our quantitative analysis and interviewed 10 providers for the qualitative analysis. Several patient-level and system-level factors were found to be associated with TCC no-shows. A few of the factors that were deemed modifiable by the clinic have been identified and recommendations provided accordingly. Conclusion TCCs play a vital role in ensuring smooth care transitions of patients following discharge. It is crucial to conduct context-level studies to identify factors that are associated with TCC no-shows and design interventions accordingly. Doing so could lead to pursuit of the triple aim of healthcare: improving patients’ experience of care, improving the health of populations, and reducing the per capita cost of health care.