The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine
Alharbi, S., Hamdi, B., Alotaibi, S., Almutairi, T., Almutairi, F., Almutairi, A., Al-Harbi, A., Al-Anazi, S., AlQuraini, T., Nadeem, A., Khalil, H., Alharbi, S., Almotawa, O., ALZAHRANI, H., Aljehani, H., ABDULLAH, I., AL MUSLAT, M. (2025). The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine. EKB Journal Management System, 7(3), 576-590. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.454700
Salman Saleh Alharbi; Bandar Ali Hamdi; Saad Zayed Obaid Alotaibi; Turki Wasel Almutairi; Fahd Obeed Almutairi; Alhanouf Obaid Almutairi; Abdul Majeed Bajad Jazzy Al-Harbi; Salman Mahdi Salman Al-Anazi; Teflah Mesfer AlQuraini; Ahmed Ibrahim Nadeem; Hayat Abdulwadod Khalil; Sultan Khdran Alharbi; Omar Fahad Omar Almotawa; HUSSAM SALEH Jaman ALZAHRANI; Hanadi Mohammed Aljehani; IBRAHIM ABDULLAH; MOHAMMED AL MUSLAT. "The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine". EKB Journal Management System, 7, 3, 2025, 576-590. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.454700
Alharbi, S., Hamdi, B., Alotaibi, S., Almutairi, T., Almutairi, F., Almutairi, A., Al-Harbi, A., Al-Anazi, S., AlQuraini, T., Nadeem, A., Khalil, H., Alharbi, S., Almotawa, O., ALZAHRANI, H., Aljehani, H., ABDULLAH, I., AL MUSLAT, M. (2025). 'The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine', EKB Journal Management System, 7(3), pp. 576-590. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.454700
Alharbi, S., Hamdi, B., Alotaibi, S., Almutairi, T., Almutairi, F., Almutairi, A., Al-Harbi, A., Al-Anazi, S., AlQuraini, T., Nadeem, A., Khalil, H., Alharbi, S., Almotawa, O., ALZAHRANI, H., Aljehani, H., ABDULLAH, I., AL MUSLAT, M. The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine. EKB Journal Management System, 2025; 7(3): 576-590. doi: 10.21608/jmals.2025.454700

The Imperative for Integrating Care Continuum: A Multi-Disciplinary Solution to Connecting Emergency Department Services with Primary Care and Specialty Medicine

Journal of Medical and Life Science
Volume 7, Issue 3, September 2025, Pages 576-590    PDF (1.06 M)
Document Type: Original Article
DOI: 10.21608/jmals.2025.454700
Authors
Salman Saleh Alharbi1; Bandar Ali Hamdi1; Saad Zayed Obaid Alotaibi1; Turki Wasel Almutairi1; Fahd Obeed Almutairi1; Alhanouf Obaid Almutairi1; Abdul Majeed Bajad Jazzy Al-Harbi1; Salman Mahdi Salman Al-Anazi2; Teflah Mesfer AlQuraini3; Ahmed Ibrahim Nadeem3; Hayat Abdulwadod Khalil4; Sultan Khdran Alharbi5; Omar Fahad Omar Almotawa5; HUSSAM SALEH Jaman ALZAHRANI5; Hanadi Mohammed Aljehani4; IBRAHIM ABDULLAH5; MOHAMMED AL MUSLAT5
1Ministry of Defense, Kingdom of Saudia Arabia
2Armed Forces Base Hospital – Al Kharj, Saudi Arabia
3Prince Sultan Armed Forces in Madina, Saudi Arabia
4King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Saudi Arabia
5Al Kharj Armed Forces Hospital, Ministry of Defense, Saudi Arabia
Abstract
Background: The disconnection between emergency departments (EDs) and outpatient care networks is a substantial contributor to ED over-crowding, inadequate transitions of care, and increasing healthcare expenditure in the United States. Thus, amidst increasing interest from multiple stakeholders, several studies have discussed the strategic integration of these siloed services as a potential answer to these systemic issues. Aim: This systematic review aims to synthesize the literature with regard to models of integration, outcomes measured, and factors related to the implementation of the integration of emergency care with primary and specialty care medical networks. Methods: Relevant literature was identified through a systematic search of peer-reviewed studies from 2000-2025 in PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science. To be included, studies had to evaluate a formal integration strategy and report on outcomes (utilization, cost, patient satisfaction). Study design, population, intervention, and outcomes were extracted and synthesized narratively. Results: This review identified models of integration that work effectively, including embedded primary care clinics, patient navigation programs, tele-specialty consultations, and Geriatric EDs. In addition, there is strong evidence supporting that these models result in improvements. Aligning financial incentives, health information technology, and strong leadership are the most important facilitators for success. Fragmented payment models and interoperability issues are barriers. Conclusion: Incorporating emergency care with a broader care network collaboratively is an effective and essential strategy to improve patient outcomes, improve system efficiencies, and reduce costs. Successfully obtaining this at scale requires policy support to establish sustainable reimbursement models and an organizational commitment to the continued redesign of patient-centered care.
Keywords
emergency department integration; care transitions; care coordination; patient navigation; health services research
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