Over the last three decades, there has been rapid development and modernisation of China’s tertiary hospitals, but the primary care system has been seriously weakened. We provided an overview of the major challenges in China’s health system reform in our recent Editorial (Liu and Legge 2017). This virtual issue of Australian Journal of Primary Health brings together 12 recent papers with relevance to these challenges.
Lin (2016) describes a Chinese program providing comprehensive community-based aged care. Social work agencies are contracted to provide case management. This article is complemented by a review of commissioning for integrated care in the National Health Service in the UK (Addicott 2016).
Hillen and colleagues (2016) argue that there is considerable scope for strengthening collaborations between general practice and aged care in Australia. Kralik and colleagues (2008) report on a literature review of medication management for community-dwelling older people with dementia and other chronic conditions.
In two Australian studies, researchers explore well-coordinated primary health care and the impact on emergency and hospital care (Evangelista et al., 2016; Mallitt et al., 2017). Mclnnes and colleagues (2017) identify challenges building effective GP-nurse partnerships in Australia under fee for service arrangements. The experiences of GPs in the Netherlands with 'pay for performance' are described by Kirschner and colleagues (2013).
Quality in primary health depends on consumer engagement and collaboration among health professionals. Ranson and colleagues (2016) discuss challenges facing service providers and families with chronic conditions in rural Australia. A survey of non-prescribed antibiotic use in the Australian Chinese community is described by Hu and Wang (2016). Mitchell and colleagues (2015) summarise approaches to integrating the work of specialist and primary care practitioners. In a policy paper from Ireland, Wallace (2009) reports on the experience of partnership building.
Chaojie Liu and David Legge