ISBN: 978-1-4731-3093-7 9.3.3.2 Qualitative synthesis The guideline committee was aware that the issue of continuity is covered in the Patient experience in adult NHS services NICE Clinical Guidance February 2012 (CG138)233 , and wished to build on that guidance. Therefore, this review used the framework of the recommendations from that guidance to synthesise the heart failure specific findings from this review, while also collecting heart failure specific themes not covered in that guidance. The most relevant recommendations from CG138 are as follows: Assess each patient s requirement for continuity of care and how that requirement will be met. This may involve the patient seeing the same healthcare professional throughout a single episode of care, or ensuring continuity within a healthcare team. (Continuity) For patients who use a number of different services (for example, services in both primary and secondary care, or attending different clinics in a hospital), ensure effective coordination and prioritisation of care to minimise the impact on the patient. (Co-ordination) Ensure clear and timely exchange of patient information: (Communication) o between healthcare professionals (particularly at the point of any transitions in care) o between healthcare and social care professionals (with the patient s consent). Give the patient (and their family members and/or carers if appropriate) information about what to do and who to contact in different situations, such as out of hours or in an emergency. (Contact and Access) This review uses these recommendations to define four findings in which to group the subfindings of our review. We fitted evidence to this framework, and separately collected evidence that did not fit into this framework, as shown in the figure below. Figure 6: Framework for synthesising review results Chronic Heart Failure Referral and approach to care NICE 2018. All rights reserved. Subject to Notice of rights. 