2018/08/01 by Jenna M. Evans, Agnes Grudniewicz, Peter Tsasis
Health Professions · #Health Policy Implementation Science #Interprofessional Education and Collaboration #Mental Health and Patient Involvement
paper · doi:10.1177/0020852318783063
crossref issued 2018/08/01 · crossref published 2018/08/01 · crossref published-online 2018/08/01 · openalex publication_date 2018/08/01 · crossref created 2018/08/01 · crossref published-print 2018/09/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref deposited 2026/05/01 · crossref indexed 2026/07/25 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
Hybrid networks that link disparate professionals and organizations are a common approach to deliver integrated care to patients. Recent literature argues that successful implementation of these networks demands a socio-cognitive perspective in which stakeholder mental frames and thought processes are prioritized, investigated, and compared. The aims of this article are to identify where mindsets diverge among clinical and managerial stakeholders involved in the implementation of integrated care networks known as ‘Health Links’ (HLs) in Ontario, Canada, and to describe strategies to support stakeholders’ capacity to collectively learn and develop more convergent views. Drawing from shared mental model theory and practice-based learning theory, a secondary analysis was conducted of interview data with 55 healthcare professionals and managers involved in the implementation of HLs. We identified examples of divergences in stakeholders’ conceptualization of the HL design and approach (‘strategy mental model’) and their perceptions of each other and how they work together (‘relationship mental model’). We also identified four strategies that facilitate learning and possibly mental model convergence. The results of the study may help guide stakeholder dialogue towards collective learning and coordinated action for integrated care delivery. Points for practitioners The findings suggest that in the implementation of large-scale change involving multiple stakeholder groups, there are predictable areas where divergent views are likely to occur and may have a negative impact on coordinated action. An awareness of these potential divergences can guide practitioners to examine them explicitly and regularly, and to proactively develop strategies to support practice-based learning and the development of a convergent perspective.