Senior researcher General Practice Care
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Barriers and facilitators in collaboration between health care and sports.
Leemrijse, C., Veenhof, C., Bakker, D. de. Barriers and facilitators in collaboration between health care and sports.: , 2014.
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Background: Promoting physical activity of inactive people in the community needs collaboration between various local actors and the sharing of each other’s knowledge and capacities. The contact between health care and local sports- and exercise providers is specifically important for enhancing physical activity of people who should exercise more for health reasons, but who are not inclined or capable to take this initiative themselves. However, collaboration is not easy. In order to improve collaboration between health care and sports, lessons may be learned from existing alliances for promoting physical activity of inactive people with (an increased risk of) health problems. Goal: To investigate barriers and facilitators in establishing and maintaining structural collaboration between primary health care and local sports- and exercise providers. Methods: Literature review including studies on barriers and facilitators in structural partnerships concerning health- and physical activity promotion. Results: Building structural cooperation between health care and sports- and exercise providers takes time and setting a realistic timetable in advance is important. It is also important that health care providers and sports- and exercise providers willing to participate as equal partners and respect each other’s knowledge and expertise. Most important impeding factors that were found are differences in culture, available time and priorities in cooperation between such different sectors as health care and sports. Health care providers are not always convinced about their responsibility in referring patients to a local sports facility. Sports trainers are not used to work with people who are not intrinsically motivated to exercise, and are not always motivated or capable to spend extra time and energy on this group. Lack of time is especially for general practitioners an important limiting factor in structural collaboration. Most important facilitating factors are the involvement of the right persons, a shared mission, coordination and financing. In order to set up an efficient alliance for promoting physical activity, the appropriate organizations and individuals such as general practitioners, communities, and representatives of sports and physical activity in the neighborhood should be involved. A clear division of activities, shared responsibility and a clear shared mission are also important. An initiator and coordinator of the collaboration with knowledge of the community is an important promoting factor, especially in the beginning. Another important facilitator is financing. Many found alliances indicate that financing is important for the durability of cooperation, but also for accessible physical activity facilities for people with low income. Conclusion: The main facilitating and impeding factors that were found in the literature on existing alliances between sports and health care concern time, the right persons, shared mission and objectives, coordination and financing. Knowing these factors can help to set up efficient alliances on promoting health and physical activity for inactive people with, or at risk for, chronic conditions. Incorporation of collaboration into the policy of municipals is important, since municipalities have a responsibility not only in the development and performance of health policy, but also in the maintenance of the local sports- and exercise facilities.
Background: Promoting physical activity of inactive people in the community needs collaboration between various local actors and the sharing of each other’s knowledge and capacities. The contact between health care and local sports- and exercise providers is specifically important for enhancing physical activity of people who should exercise more for health reasons, but who are not inclined or capable to take this initiative themselves. However, collaboration is not easy. In order to improve collaboration between health care and sports, lessons may be learned from existing alliances for promoting physical activity of inactive people with (an increased risk of) health problems. Goal: To investigate barriers and facilitators in establishing and maintaining structural collaboration between primary health care and local sports- and exercise providers. Methods: Literature review including studies on barriers and facilitators in structural partnerships concerning health- and physical activity promotion. Results: Building structural cooperation between health care and sports- and exercise providers takes time and setting a realistic timetable in advance is important. It is also important that health care providers and sports- and exercise providers willing to participate as equal partners and respect each other’s knowledge and expertise. Most important impeding factors that were found are differences in culture, available time and priorities in cooperation between such different sectors as health care and sports. Health care providers are not always convinced about their responsibility in referring patients to a local sports facility. Sports trainers are not used to work with people who are not intrinsically motivated to exercise, and are not always motivated or capable to spend extra time and energy on this group. Lack of time is especially for general practitioners an important limiting factor in structural collaboration. Most important facilitating factors are the involvement of the right persons, a shared mission, coordination and financing. In order to set up an efficient alliance for promoting physical activity, the appropriate organizations and individuals such as general practitioners, communities, and representatives of sports and physical activity in the neighborhood should be involved. A clear division of activities, shared responsibility and a clear shared mission are also important. An initiator and coordinator of the collaboration with knowledge of the community is an important promoting factor, especially in the beginning. Another important facilitator is financing. Many found alliances indicate that financing is important for the durability of cooperation, but also for accessible physical activity facilities for people with low income. Conclusion: The main facilitating and impeding factors that were found in the literature on existing alliances between sports and health care concern time, the right persons, shared mission and objectives, coordination and financing. Knowing these factors can help to set up efficient alliances on promoting health and physical activity for inactive people with, or at risk for, chronic conditions. Incorporation of collaboration into the policy of municipals is important, since municipalities have a responsibility not only in the development and performance of health policy, but also in the maintenance of the local sports- and exercise facilities.