IMPLEMENTING COORDINATION OF CARE - TASK-PERFORMANCE AND PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED

In recent years the effects of interventions in the field of coordinat ion of care have been well reported. However, the implementation of co ordination of care is hardly addressed. This article focuses on the im plementation of coordination of care for the elderly in three communit y settings in The Netherlands. A group of 38 professional and non-prof essional care-givers functioned as coordinators during a period of one year. Open interviews with coordinators, minutes from group meetings and forms and logbooks were used as sources of data. Major problems du ring implementation involved conflicting roles, preserving the client' s privacy, lack of recognition and the perception that coordination wa s not always necessary. Coordinators had no difficulty in making a car e inventory and in organizing care. On the other hand, introducing one self as a coordinator, and planning and evaluating are tasks that need more attention in future interventions.