BackgroundHealth and social services provided at home are becoming increasingly important. Hence, there is a need for information on home care in Europe. The objective of this literature review was to respond to this need by systematically describing what has been reported on home care in Europe in the scientific literature over the past decade.MethodsA systematic literature search was performed for papers on home care published in English, using the following data bases: Cinahl, the Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, Sociological Abstracts, Social Services Abstracts, and Social Care Online. Studies were only included if they complied with the definition of home care, were published between January 1998 and October 2009, and dealt with at least one of the 31 specified countries. Clinical interventions, instrument developments, local projects and reviews were excluded. The data extracted included: the characteristics of the study and aspects of home care 'policy & regulation', 'financing', 'organisation & service delivery', and 'clients & informal carers'.ResultsSeventy-four out of 5,133 potentially relevant studies met the inclusion criteria, providing information on 18 countries. Many focused on the characteristics of home care recipients and on the organisation of home care. Geographical inequalities, market forces, quality and integration of services were also among the issues frequently discussed.ConclusionsHome care systems appeared to differ both between and within countries. The papers included, however, provided only a limited picture of home care. Many studies only focused on one aspect of the home care system and international comparative studies were rare. Furthermore, little information emerged on home care financing and on home care in general in Eastern Europe. This review clearly shows the need for more scientific publications on home care, especially studies comparing countries. A comprehensive and more complete insight into the state of home care in Europe requires the gathering of information using a uniform framework and methodology.

The involvement of governments in the home care sector strongly varies across Europe. This study aims to explain the differences through the conditions for the involvement of informal care and governments in society; wealth and the demographic structure. As this study could combine qualitative data and quantitative data analyses, it could consider larger patterns than previous studies which were often based on ideographic historical accounts. Extensive data were gathered in 30 European countries, between 2008 and 2010. In each country, policy documents were analysed and experts were interviewed. International variation in regulation and governmental funding of personal care and domestic aid are associated with differences in prevailing values on family care, tax burden and wealth in a country. Hence, this study provides evidence for the obstacles - i.e. country differences - for transferring home care policies between countries. However, longitudinal research is needed to establish whether this is indeed the causal relationship we expect.

PurposeTo show the extent to which social and health care services are integrated across European home care systems.Introduction and theoryHome care incorporates several types of services. It is part of both the social system and health care system. Different disciplines/providers from different organisational settings, which may be financed differently, provide care at the clients' home. Furthermore, client's access to care may be organised in various ways. A European wide study (EURHOMAP) is used to look at these aspects in several countries.MethodsA systematic literature review and consultations with experts across Europe resulted in a set of consensus-based indicators. Major topics are: provision, financing and regulation. Data were collected in 31 countries in 2008–2009. To enhance comparability, a panel of key informants in each country answered a set of questions related to four vignettes about people in need of home care.Results and conclusionResults will be presented for some countries which form a contrast in the extent of service delivery and integration in home care. The delivery, needs assessment, financing and policy and regulation of each will be discussed. There are several levels at which integration can occur: regulation, financing, access and service delivery. Whether and at which level integration occurs varies from country to country.