zorgcontext

Zorgcontext is a term used primarily in Dutch-language health sciences to refer to the context in which care is delivered. It covers the confluence of patient characteristics, care settings, organizational structures, workflows, technologies, policies, and cultural factors that influence how care is planned, delivered, and experienced.

Key components include the patient and family context (needs, preferences, health literacy), the care team and workload, the institutional setting (hospital, clinic, home care, long-term care), physical environment (space, equipment, accessibility), information technology and data flows (electronic health records, decision support, telehealth), and the policy and regulatory framework surrounding care delivery.

Zorgcontext is used to analyze how context interacts with clinical processes and outcomes. Researchers and practitioners map zorgcontext to identify barriers or enablers of high-quality care, inform the design of care pathways, support interoperability, and tailor interventions to local conditions. Common methods include qualitative interviews, observational studies, and framework-based context analyses.

While the concept is helpful for holistic assessment, zorgcontext varies across settings and over time, limiting generalization. In practice, it supports user-centered and systems-oriented approaches to health care design, quality improvement, and health services research. An example is home-based palliative care, where zorgcontext includes family involvement, housing conditions, remote monitoring capabilities, and coordination with primary care and specialists.