Simensen, Ida. “Interdisciplinary collaboration: an important part of the puzzle”

I chose this picture of a puzzle, to represent how the healthcare and rehabilitation system in Norway is built and organized. The picture represents how it´s necessary that the different professions, communes and specialized health services work together to provide optimal rehabilitation services for the patients, where there is a good cooperation between the different parts of the healthcare system that the patients meet through their rehabilitation face. You can look at this in a way where all the different pieces of the puzzle need to be put together to create a final picture, which represent the final face of the patient’s rehabilitation. 

In Norway we have a reform called “Samhandlingsreformen” (Co-operation reform, directly translated). This reform shall ensure optimal interaction when the responsibility for the patient is moved between hospitals and communes, and between departments and units within hospitals and communes (2018, Helsedirektoratet). “Samhandling” or interaction is a phrase for health- and care services ability to accomplish distribution of tasks in a coordinative and rational way (Meld. St. 47. (2008-2009) 2009). Before Samhandlingsreformen, the transition from the hospital to the commune was characterized by poor communication. The hospital also had a greater responsibility for the patients after the medical treatment was over, which led to a longer hospital stay than necessary and thus longer before the patient could begin the rehabilitation process. After the reform, the communication between the systems is better, and the communes are responsible for the patient when she or he is ready for discharge. In this way, the rehabilitation process is started earlier so that the patient can begin training, mobilizing and exercise on daily activities.

I think that “Samhandlingsreformen” is an important step in the right direction, when it comes to establishing a better offer to the patients, as I think it is important that the patients don’t suffer from poor communications or logistic between the different departments that are supposed to help the patient in the rehabilitation process. 

Bibliography: 

• Meld. St. 47 (2008-2009). (2009). Samhandlingsreformen: Rett behandling – på rett sted – til rett tid. Hentet fra:https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/d4f0e16ad32e4bbd8d8ab5c21445a5dc/no/pdfs/stm200820090047000dddpdfs.pdf 
• Samhandlingsreformen. (2018, 3. August). I Helsedirektoratet. Hentet fra https://helsedirektoratet.no/samhandlingsreformen