Bottom upside down: Professionals in inter-organizational partnerships in primary care

Abstract

In primary health care, with a wide range of different disciplines, added value is seen in working together with other disciplines, especially in the management of chronic conditions. Therefore, a trend is observed toward collaboration between small mono-disciplinary practices, so-called inter-organizational partnerships. This chapter focuses on the role of primary care professionals in 69 inter-organizational partnerships in the Netherlands and the relationship with quality of care and project success. While collaboration in primary care is often initiated by managers and policymakers, our study shows that the advantages and disadvantages as perceived by the executing professionals are important. Their perceptions, in relation to the type of project, are important for the success of the inter-organizational partnerships and the improvement in the quality of care delivered.