Transcription
Listen to a discussion between two providers debating these commonly seen challenges.
“Primary Care Decision Maker: “We need to have a joint decision-making framework to build stronger working relationships between our public health and primary care workforces and to break the silos.”
Public Health Decision Maker: “I agree but I feel very pessimistic about this. Until we have a crisis, such as the H1N1 pandemic that affected so many people, or there is some other reason that forces us to change the way we work; for instance, like the introduction of new models of care delivery. Our silos will continue to exist and decisions will not be made jointly.”
Primary Care Decision Maker: “I guess so. Clearly, it is possible for public health and primary care to work more collaboratively towards a common goal. Can you tell me more about what happened during the H1N1 pandemic?”
Public Health Decision Maker: “During that time, many people were ill with H1N1. Both of our sectors had to work together to implement population measures – closing of schools, telling people to stay at home, implementing a telephone consultation fee, etc. A provincial working group came up with decisions that were communicated to public health and primary care. Of course, the implementation of the H1N1 guidelines were not perfect but I think it did show that public health and primary care can make decisions jointly and can work together towards a common goal. Therefore it is possible but it should not take a public health crisis to make this happen!”
This interchange between the public health and primary care decision makers highlights the complex relationship between this systemic level factor – effective decision-making framework – with an interpersonal factor – Shared Values, Beliefs, and Attitudes – and with an organizational factor – Strategic Coordination and Communication Mechanisms between Partners. “