Integration of health care in the Basque Country during COVID-19: the importance of an integrated care management approach in times of emergency

The main objective of this study is to analyse the process of integration of health care implemented in the public health system (Osakidetza) of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (CAPV), and assess whether the steps taken to date have helped or hindered the work of health personnel in times of COVID-19. Based on a case study, an assessment is made of the way in which certain tools of the integration process have been applied, if they have worked well and if they have led to better management of the pandemic. For the purpose of this study, a qualitative methodology is chosen consisting of a case study and in-depth interviews with health personnel at the front line of the integration process and the fight against COVID-19. This study makes two fundamental contributions. First, it analyses the health integration process in recent years in the public health system of the Basque Country. Second, it gathers the perceptions of different agents related to the Basque Health System of the way in which the tools of the integration process implemented in recent years have worked during the pandemic, detailing the positive and negative perceptions in this regard. Our conclusions offer a series of strategic recommendations linked to comprehensive patient care and the use of tools related to teleconsulting: the unified medical record, electronic prescription, and non-face-to-face care channels.