Inter-Sectoral Collaboration in Municipal Health Centres: A Multi-Site Qualitative Study of Supporting Organizational Elements and Individual Drivers.

INTRODUCTION

Community health centres accommodating different professional groups are expected to improve inter-sectoral collaboration between primary care providers. This study aimed to identify what has been done to support inter-sectoral collaboration between municipal professionals and general practitioners in health centres, and to explore the interactions that emerge between these professionals at the operational level.

METHODS

The study was a multi-site qualitative study carried out in four municipal health centres in a Danish region. The study was based on documents and qualitative interviews with general practitioners, and municipal professionals and administrators in each of the health centres. A content analysis was conducted.

RESULTS

The study found that little attention had been given to the organizational prerequisites for enhanced inter-sectoral collaboration in the health centres. Even though some health centres had employed coordinators, these did not play a significant role as facilitators of collaboration partly due to a lack of political and managerial attention. At the operational level, inter-sectoral collaboration was limited to ad hoc interactions between professionals. Although these interactions could be useful, they did not evolve into more systematic forms of collaboration.

CONCLUSION

The gap between policy visions and actual implementation efforts found in this study suggests that a more active and focused engagement from the political-administrative level is needed if the visions of increased inter-sectoral collaboration in health centres are to be realised.