EUKN - European Urban Knowledge Network - Weak co-ordination of policy, practice and research in public health care

Weak co-ordination of policy, practice and research in public health care

Introduction

Immediately after every municipal election, the municipal government must negotiate the local health policy for the next four years. A successful co-ordination of policy, practice and research seems to be coupled to an improvement in the quality and effect of public health care. These are two of the important recommendations in the dissertation 'Mind the gap: Collaboration between practice, policy and research in local public health' by Maria Jansen, defended at Maastricht University.

Proposition

How can the collaboration between policy, practice and research in the field of public health care be improved?

Description

The study described in this dissertation was geared towards the question which obstacles stand in the way of a better co-ordination between policy, practice and research in the field of public health care. It also deals with the question of what is needed to clear these obstacles out of the way.

The study was based on an analysis of six case studies in the period 1991 to 2005. Each case involved a study of a ‘public health’ problem with specific relevance to practice and policy. As case descriptions, they illustrate the strengths and weaknesses in the collaboration between policy, practice and research in public health care: what goes wrong and for what reason? But also: how do things go as they should and for what reason?

Conclusions

In order to realise the co-operation between policy, practice and research, there must be coherence between the strategic, tactical and operational management from within each organisation. This kind of common dialogue at the various levels does not (yet) exist, at least not structurally;
The study recommends that new negotiations on the local health care policy for the coming four years be held immediately after every local election round, with input from the responsible Alderman, a Professor for public health and/or the Director of the ‘public health’ research institute and the Director of the Municipal Health Service;
At the tactical level, (middle) managers should provide the preconditions to be able to co-operate by daring to be a 'learning' organisation;
New performance indicators geared towards co-operation are necessary. Performance indicators should bring the organisation's goals and the compensation system for personnel into alignment with one another. There is currently too little attention from management for performance indicators in combination with personal development plans to encourage personnel to co-operate;
Successful collaboration between policy, practice and research seems to be linked to improved quality and effect of public health care.

Contact info

Maastricht University
The Netherlands

Publication date

28/06/2007

Researcher

Maria Jansen

Article info
ISBN: 978-90-5278-626-1

Links

More information on the Maastricht University

Download the dissertation 'Mind the gap: Collaboration between practice, policy and research in local public health' (PDF, 2.66MB) English

Document type

research

Themes

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Quality of life

Keywords

Health

Institutional characteristics
Academic/Research