Building collaborative partnerships in primary health care

• Main Author: Riley, Marie Danielle Melinda Mylo
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2013
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/44214

Collaboration is an increasingly adopted strategy for addressing many of society's most complex and pressing public challenges. The General Practice Services Committee’s Divisions of Family Practice initiative offers a rich example of collaborative partnerships in action within the context of the primary health care system of British Columbia. Divisions of Family Practice are community-based nonprofit organizations consisting of family physician members. Division members work in partnership with health authority administrators and other community organization representatives with the goal of working at local and regional levels, through collaborative processes, to co-design locally feasible solutions for better delivery of primary health care services leading to improved provider and patient satisfaction. The research focuses on the question, “How can Divisions create and sustain effective collaborative practices”? This question is explored through a practitioner inquiry. The inquiry includes: a description of the General Practice Services Committee and the Divisions of Family Practice initiative; a review of the relevant literature; observations and reflections on the experience of collaborative process within the Divisions initiative from my perspective as an administrator supporting the initiative; and concludes by suggesting that further study in the areas of initiative sustainability, inclusive patient involvement, and a more culturally diverse leadership would be beneficial. The findings of the inquiry support the notion that educating about the processes of collaboration, the inherent obstacles and challenges, and the role of the behaviours of the participants, are instrumental in supporting effective collaborative partnerships. The inquiry has informed the second part of thesis, a participation guide and process handbook designed to share a model, processes and tools to foster the collaborative work of the Divisions and their partners.