Ignorance is not bliss. Doctors, managers and development.
Current government policy places great emphasis on increased collaboration between disciplines and professions within health care, as in public services across the board. To date, analyses of doctor-manager relations have tended to focus on equipping doctors with management skills, once they have reached consultant level. In contrast, this paper evaluates a new management development initiative, designed to involve doctors and managers at an earlier career stage, and on an inter-disciplinary basis. Interview and questionnaire responses indicate that specialist registrars and young managers share common values; however, they also acknowledge a high degree of mutual ignorance. Evaluation suggests that inter-disciplinary programmes can provide a starting-point for closer collaboration in practice; in conclusion, some options for sustaining this in the long term are identified.
Owen
J
J
Institute of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Sheffield, UK.
Phillips
K
K
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003144:Communication Barriers; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006740:Hospital Administrators / Q000523:psychology*; D018578:Hospital-Physician Relations; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000523:psychology*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D013192:Staff Development; D013222:State Medicine; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom