Relational Coordination in Cross-Sector Collaboration: A Theoretical Analysis of Healthcare Professionals' Perspectives Between Mental Health Centres and Municipalities.
Kim Jørgensen, Morten Hansen, Kirstine Bro Jørgensen
PMID 41065012WHAT IT FOUND
Mental health professionals described fragmented discharge care when coordination with municipalities and residential facilities failed.
They linked expected post-discharge follow-up that did not happen to users feeling abandoned and being readmitted.
Key findings
01Professionals agreed on treatment goals but said aligning them with municipalities and residential facilities was difficult, and poor coordination led to fragmented care.
02Professionals said the expected 48 h post-discharge follow-up by the FACT team rarely happened systematically, and users felt abandoned or were readmitted.
03Professionals described careful discharge planning and testing with residential facilities, plus involving users, as important for successful transitions.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study included 21 professionals from one mental health centre in one Danish region, so it may not represent other services or countries. Service users were not interviewed, so the findings are professionals' views about users rather than users' own accounts. Qualitative focus groups can be shaped by group dynamics and do not measure whether coordination improves patient outcomes. The paper applies relational coordination theory to the data and does not test an intervention or outcome.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that FACT or post-discharge follow-up reduces readmission. It reports professionals' perspectives, includes no service users, and measures no patient outcomes.