Continuity of care for children in the ‘too hard’ basket: a literature review of care needs in the health system

The following review of literature arose from Project Partnership, an initiative of the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, which was set up to identify systemic and organisational changes which could improve continuity and quality of care for children with long-term and complex health care needs. This article examines research findings and other literature relevant to the experience of families whose children have complex health care needs; the experience of hospital based, health care professionals who care for this group of children; and the complexities of undertaking collaborative research in a large health bureaucracy.