Project: Seamless care for older adults – enhanced collaboration between ambulance services and primary care (ECAP)
The research project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate a sustainable model for enhanced collaboration between ambulance services and primary care (ECAP), with the goal of promoting seamless care for older adults.
Fakta om projektet
Project manager
Anders Svensson
Other project members
Ann Therese Hedqvist
Linda Ljungholm
Elin-Sofie Forsgärde
Mats Holmberg
Carina Elmqvist
Cecilia Fagerström
Mattias Rööst, Region Kronoberg
Linda Hördegård, Region Kronoberg
Fredrik Dahlberg, Region Kronoberg
Gunilla Berg, Region Kronoberg
Elsa Bengtsson, Region Kronoberg
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University & Region Kronoberg
Financier
The Kamprad Family Foundation for Entrepreneurship, Research & Charity – Improved quality of life for older adults
Tidsplan
2026-2028
Ämne
Health and caring sciences (Department of Health and Caring Sciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)
Forskargrupper
Centre of Interprofessional Collaboration within Emergency care (CICE) & The ReAction group – Resilient healthcare and patient activation
More about the project
Swedish healthcare is undergoing a substantial transformation to meet the needs of an ageing population and a growing number of people living with chronic conditions. The national reform Person-centred Integrated care (Nära vård) aims to strengthen primary care as the hub of the healthcare system, bringing services closer to patients’ everyday lives and contexts. For older adults with complex care needs, this shift is particularly important, as improved continuity and coordination can help prevent inefficient care processes and avoidable hospital admissions.
Primary care, including home healthcare services and primary care centres, plays a key role in this transformation. However, these changes also require ambulance services to develop new ways of working to support safe clinical assessments and decision-making, particularly in situations where acute care needs to be coordinated with the ongoing care provided by primary care. A central challenge lies in bridging the gap between acute and continuous care to better meet the needs of older adults with complex care needs. Previous research has highlighted the importance of collaboration between care providers to achieve seamless transitions and safe care. However, there is currently a lack of standardised models that integrate ambulance services with primary care, particularly across municipal and regional levels. This gap creates organisational and professional challenges that affect both patients and healthcare professionals. At the same time, research suggests that strengthened collaboration between ambulance services and primary care can create new opportunities to support safe and continuous care delivery.
Through the development of the ECAP (Enhanced Collaboration between Ambulance services and Primary care) model, we aim to establish a structured approach that strengthens collaboration across levels of care and promotes more integrated and efficient care for older adults. The research project is expected to generate both practical and scientific contributions by enhancing collaboration between ambulance services and primary care. From a practical perspective, the project will identify barriers and enabling factors and develop care models that improve care transitions for patients with complex needs. This may reduce hospital admissions, improve quality of care and patient safety, and increase patients’ sense of security, while also supporting more efficient use of healthcare resources. The ECAP model is also expected to strengthen networks between researchers and healthcare stakeholders, facilitating the implementation of sustainable solutions.
From a scientific perspective, the project addresses an important knowledge gap by exploring and developing interprofessional models for collaborative care. This will contribute to a deeper understanding of how organisational boundaries can be bridged to create effective and sustainable healthcare systems, with the potential to inform similar initiatives both nationally and internationally.