Clinical care

Clinical care is anything relating to the direct medical treatment or testing of patients. Clinical care is provided by trained or licensed health professionals in hospital or clinic settings, including primary, specialty and dental care. Clinical care includes health insurance.

Reviewed clinical care strategies are listed below. Click on column headings to sort by strategy, approach, evidence rating, or short description. Click on the strategy name for more information.

67 results (63 unique strategies)

Strategy ↑↓	Health Topic ↑↓	Approach ↑↓	Evidence Rating ↑↓	Short Description ↑↓
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs)	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Scientifically Supported	Increase support for non-profit health care organizations and deliver comprehensive care to uninsured, underinsured, and vulnerable patients regardless of ability to pay; often called community health centers (CHCs)
Medical homes	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Scientifically Supported	Provide continuous, comprehensive, whole person primary care that uses a coordinated team of medical providers across the health care system
School-based health centers	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Scientifically Supported	Provide health care services on school premises to attending elementary, middle, and high school students; physical and mental health services provided by teams of nurses, nurse practitioners, and physicians
Telemedicine	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Scientifically Supported	Deliver consultative, diagnostic, and treatment services remotely, especially for patients who live in areas with limited access to care or who experience transportation or mobility barriers; sometimes called telehealth
Text message-based health interventions	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Scientifically Supported	Provide reminders, education, or self-management assistance for health conditions, especially chronic diseases, via text message
Community health workers	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Some Evidence	Engage professional or lay health workers to provide education, referral and follow-up, case management, home visiting, etc. for those who experience barriers in accessing health care; also called promotoras(es) de salud or community health representatives
Mobile health for mental health	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Some Evidence	Deliver health care services and support to individuals with mental health concerns via mobile devices using text messaging or mobile apps
School-based health centers with reproductive health services	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Some Evidence	Provide reproductive health care services such as counseling, contraception, and testing in middle and high school-based health centers
Telemental health services	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Some Evidence	Provide mental health care services (e.g., psychotherapy or counseling) via telephone or videoconference
Faith community nursing	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Expert Opinion	Position registered nurses within a parish or similar faith community, or in a health care system to serve as a liaison to congregations; also called parish nursing or congregational nursing
Retail clinics	Clinical care	Adopt alternate care models	Expert Opinion	Establish clinics in retail stores that provide basic services for minor illnesses (e.g., sore throats or skin conditions) and procedures (e.g., immunizations, pregnancy testing, routine lab tests); also known as retail pharmacy, walk-in, or convenient care clinics
Chronic disease self-management (CDSM) programs	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Scientifically Supported	Provide educational and behavioral interventions that support patients’ ability to actively manage their condition(s) in everyday life
Multi-component fall prevention interventions for older adults	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Scientifically Supported	Provide a fixed, multi-component set of fall prevention interventions to older adults, usually in community settings, without an individualized risk assessment
Patient safety checklists	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Scientifically Supported	Use visual tools to prompt safe practices, standardize communication, and ensure no step is forgotten before, during, or after a medical procedure or other health care situation
Risk assessments & personalized approaches to fall prevention among older adults	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Scientifically Supported	Conduct individual assessments that gauge older adults’ risk of falling and develop personalized approaches to help prevent falls
Public reporting of health care-associated infections	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Expert Opinion	Make health care facilities’ health care-associated or hospital-acquired infection (HAI) rates readily available to patients and providers
State-level minimum nurse staffing requirements for nursing homes	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Expert Opinion	Establish state level regulations that require nursing homes to employ at least a set number of licensed and non-licensed nursing staff, often set in terms of staff hours per resident day
Hospital wristband color standardization	Clinical care	Improve patient safety	Insufficient Evidence	Establish national standards for the colors of patient wristbands used to alert health care providers about specific conditions such as allergies or elevated fall risk
Nurse practitioner scope of practice	Clinical care	Improve quality of care	Scientifically Supported	Use regulation to extend nurse practitioners’ (NPs’) scope of practice to provide care to the full scope of their training and skills without physician oversight, especially for primary care
Public reporting of health care quality performance	Clinical care	Improve quality of care	Some Evidence	Make clinician, hospital, clinic, long-term care facility, and insurance plan performance on health care quality measures publicly available via report cards, reporting websites, or similar tools
Nurse-friendly work environments	Clinical care	Improve quality of care	Expert Opinion	Improve work environments for nurses via establishment of strong nursing leadership, organizational support, etc.
Trauma-informed health care	Clinical care	Improve quality of care	Expert Opinion	Adopt universal trauma precautions and provide trauma-specific care to patients in health care organizations
Trusted messengers for vaccinations	Clinical care	Improve quality of care	Expert Opinion	Provide accurate vaccination information to hard-to-reach populations through trained messengers who build trusting relationships with communities
Behavioral health primary care integration	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Revise health care processes and provider roles to integrate mental health and substance abuse treatment into primary care; continue to refer patients with severe conditions to specialty care
Case-managed care for community-dwelling frail elders	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Use a case management model for frail elderly patients living independently, coordinating aspects of long-term care (LTC) such as status assessment, monitoring, advocacy, care planning, etc.
Chronic disease management programs	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Implement multi-component efforts that include coordination of health services by multidisciplinary teams of health care professionals, patient self-management, and patient education
Integrated long-term care for community-dwelling frail elders	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Support a collaborative approach by a multidisciplinary team of professionals working to meet the full range of long-term care (LTC) needs for frail elderly patients living in community settings
Medical homes	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Provide continuous, comprehensive, whole person primary care that uses a coordinated team of medical providers across the health care system
Practice facilitation for primary care	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Scientifically Supported	Engage practice coaches or facilitators to work with primary care clinic staff to redesign clinical practices, organize quality improvement efforts, improve communication, share best practices, etc.
Green House homes	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Some Evidence	Support self-contained, homelike dwellings for 10-12 elderly adults who require nursing care; universal caregivers, usually CNAs, provide care and other supports while clinical teams visit for specialized care
Medical-legal partnerships	Clinical care	Increase coordination of care	Some Evidence	Integrate legal services into health care settings to address legal issues that affect health (e.g., housing, food, utilities); services provided by private practice lawyers, law students, etc.
Community water fluoridation	Clinical care	Increase opportunities for oral health care	Scientifically Supported	Adjust and monitor fluoride levels in public water supplies to reach and retain optimal fluoride concentrations
School dental programs	Clinical care	Increase opportunities for oral health care	Scientifically Supported	Provide sealants, fluoride treatment, screening, and other preventive dental care on school grounds via partnerships with dental professionals
Allied dental professional scope of practice	Clinical care	Increase opportunities for oral health care	Some Evidence	Expand the role of allied dental professionals (e.g., hygienists, therapists, etc.) via changes to statute, dentist supervision requirements, etc.
Health literacy interventions	Clinical care	Increase patient engagement	Some Evidence	Increase patients' health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy
Consumer participation in health care governance	Clinical care	Increase patient engagement	Expert Opinion	Involve consumers in health care governance via roles on governing boards, advisory committees, or shorter-term special projects
Comprehensive clinic-based programs for pregnant & parenting teens	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Scientifically Supported	Address the needs of teenage parents via clinic-based programs that provide health care and family planning services as well as case management, counseling, and other supports
Group prenatal care	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Some Evidence	Provide prenatal care in a group setting, integrating health assessment, education, and support
Long-acting reversible contraception access	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Some Evidence	Increase access to LARCs through cost reduction, comprehensive birth control counseling, provider training, efforts to ensure availability at local clinics, etc.
Mobile reproductive health clinics	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Some Evidence	Offer reproductive health services (e.g., pregnancy tests, prenatal and postpartum care, gynecological exams, STI screenings, etc.), health education, and social service referrals via medically equipped vans
Preconception education interventions	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Some Evidence	Provide birthing people with information about the risks and benefits of behaviors that affect their health before, during, and after pregnancy
Reproductive life plans	Clinical care	Increase preconception, prenatal, and interconception care	Expert Opinion	Establish plans consistent with personal values and current life circumstances that set goals related to having or not having children; goals often change over time
Cultural competence training for health care professionals	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Scientifically Supported	Increase health care providers’ skills and knowledge to understand and respond to cultural differences, value diversity, etc. via factual information, skills training, and other efforts
Culturally adapted health care	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Scientifically Supported	Tailor health care to patients’ norms, beliefs, and values, as well as their language and literacy skills
Patient navigators	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Scientifically Supported	Provide culturally sensitive assistance and care coordination, and guide patients through available medical, insurance, and social support; also called systems navigators
Professionally trained medical interpreters	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Scientifically Supported	Provide interpretation services for patients with limited English proficiency (LEP) in outpatient and inpatient health care settings, following training and certification
Community-based doulas	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Expert Opinion	Provide culturally appropriate non-medical care and support throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum to birthing people at higher risk of poor outcomes and underserved by the medical community
Trusted messengers for vaccinations	Clinical care	Provide culturally competent care	Expert Opinion	Provide accurate vaccination information to hard-to-reach populations through trained messengers who build trusting relationships with communities
Mentoring for new nurses	Clinical care	Recruit & retain high quality workforce	Some Evidence	Pair new nurses with more experienced nurses who act as a resource and provide support as the new nurse establishes her or himself professionally
Nurse residency programs	Clinical care	Recruit & retain high quality workforce	Some Evidence	Implement programs that continue education, mentoring, and support for novice nurses following graduation
Financial incentives for new nursing faculty	Clinical care	Recruit & retain high quality workforce	Expert Opinion	Offer loan repayment, tuition assistance, competitive academic salaries, etc. to students who teach in nursing programs after completing an advanced degree
Long-term care employee compensation	Clinical care	Recruit & retain high quality workforce	Expert Opinion	Increase wages and benefits for personal or home care workers, nurse aides, and others who provide direct care to patients in long-term care (LTC) settings
Nurse-friendly work environments	Clinical care	Recruit & retain high quality workforce	Expert Opinion	Improve work environments for nurses via establishment of strong nursing leadership, organizational support, etc.
Rural training in medical education	Clinical care	Recruit providers to underserved areas	Scientifically Supported	Expand medical school training and learning experiences focused on the skills necessary to practice successfully in rural areas
Financial incentives for health professionals serving underserved areas	Clinical care	Recruit providers to underserved areas	Some Evidence	Expand incentives such as scholarships and loans with service requirements and loan repayment or forgiveness programs for health care providers who practice in rural or other underserved areas
J-1 physician visa waivers	Clinical care	Recruit providers to underserved areas	Insufficient Evidence	Expand use of J-1 physician visa waivers for foreign national physicians who have trained in the U.S. and will serve patients in designated Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs)
Health insurance enrollment outreach & support	Clinical care	Reduce barriers to care	Scientifically Supported	Provide outreach and support to assist those whose employers do not offer affordable coverage, who are self-employed, or who are unemployed
Mental health benefits legislation	Clinical care	Reduce barriers to care	Scientifically Supported	Regulate mental health insurance to increase access to mental health services, including treatment for substance use disorders
Gender-affirming care for youth	Clinical care	Reduce barriers to care	Some Evidence	Provide supportive, gender-affirming care to trans, non-binary, and gender-expansive youth
Health literacy interventions	Clinical care	Reduce barriers to care	Some Evidence	Increase patients' health-related knowledge via efforts to simplify health education materials, improve patient-provider communication, and increase overall literacy
Rural transportation services	Clinical care	Reduce barriers to care	Expert Opinion	Establish transportation services for areas with low population densities using publicly funded buses and vans on a set schedule, dial-a-ride transit, volunteer ridesharing, etc.
Patient financial incentives for preventive care	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Scientifically Supported	Use gift cards, vouchers, and other incentives to encourage patients to undergo preventive care such as screenings, vaccinations, etc.
Patient shared decision making	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Scientifically Supported	Support joint decision making between health care practitioners and patients through shared decision making (SDM); part of patient-centered care
Value-based insurance design	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Scientifically Supported	Create financial incentives or remove financial disincentives to affect consumer choices and incentivize provision of cost efficient health care services
Price transparency initiatives for patients	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Some Evidence	Make pricing for hospital procedures and other health care services publicly available, often via websites, online databases, report cards, or similar tools
Value-based purchasing (VBP)	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Some Evidence	Use the purchasing power of employers and groups of insured individuals to create incentives and disincentives for health care providers to deliver high quality, high value care
Consumer-directed health plans	Clinical care	Reduce unnecessary spending & overtreatment	Mixed Evidence	Establish high deductible health plans paired with pre-tax medical expense accounts such as Health Reimbursement Arrangements (HRAs) or Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and information tools