Author:

Keywords:

integrated community care, empowerment, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Health Care Sciences & Services, Health Policy & Services, Integrated care, Older people, Long-term community care, Multidisciplinary teams, Multidisciplinary cooperation, Organisational reform, Organisational empowerment, HEALTH, STRENGTHS, SERVICES, IMPACT, Aged, Community Health Services, Cooperative Behavior, Delivery of Health Care, Integrated, Focus Groups, Health Services for the Aged, Humans, Interinstitutional Relations, Interviews as Topic, Models, Organizational, Netherlands, Organizational Policy, Patient Care Team, Power, Psychological, Quality of Health Care, Trust, 1117 Public Health and Health Services, 1605 Policy and Administration, 4206 Public health, 4407 Policy and administration

Abstract:

Although multi-disciplinary cooperation between professionals is a prerequisite to provide integrated care in the community, this seems hard to realise in practice. Yet, little is known about the experiences of professionals who implement it nor about the organisational features professionals identify as empowering during this cooperation process. Therefore, a case study of a multi-disciplinary geriatric team was performed. The data-collection included observations of meetings, in-depth interviews and focus groups with professionals (N = 12). Data were analysed inductively and related to the three organisational levels within the model of organisational empowerment of Peterson and Zimmerman. Signs of empowering organisational features on the intraorganisational level were mutual trust and clear working routines. On the interorganisational level important features included improved linkages between participating organisations and increased insight into each other's tasks. Tensions occurred relating to the inter- and the extraorganisational level. Professionals felt that the commitment of the management of involved organisations should be improved just as the capacity of the team to influence (local) policy. It is recommended that policymakers should not determine the nature of professional cooperation in advance, but to leave that to the local context as well as to the judgement of involved professionals.