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What makes intersectoral partnerships for health promotion work? a review of the international literature

Corbin, J. Hope
; 
Jones, Jacky
; 
Barry, Margaret M.
Repository DOI
Publication Date
2016-08-09
Keywords
partnerships, literature review, intersectoral partnerships, health policy, community capacity, coalition factors, synergy, network, success, collaboration, alliances, lessons, program, africa
Type
Article
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Citation
Corbin, J. Hope; Jones, Jacky; Barry, Margaret M. (2016). What makes intersectoral partnerships for health promotion work? a review of the international literature. Health Promotion International 33 (1), 4-26
Abstract
A Health in All Policies approach requires creating and sustaining intersectoral partnerships for promoting population health. This scoping review of the international literature on partnership functioning provides a narrative synthesis of findings related to processes that support and inhibit health promotion partnership functioning. Searching a range of databases, the review includes 26 studies employing quantitative (n = 8), qualitative (n = 10) and mixed method (n = 8) designs examining partnership processes published from January 2007 to June 2015. Using the Bergen Model of Collaborative Functioning as a theoretical framework for analyzing the findings, nine core elements were identified that constitute positive partnership processes that can inform best practices: (i) develop a shared mission aligned to the partners' individual or institutional goals; (ii) include a broad range of participation from diverse partners and a balance of human and financial resources; (iii) incorporate leadership that inspires trust, confidence and inclusiveness; (iv) monitor how communication is perceived by partners and adjust accordingly; (v) balance formal and informal roles/structures depending upon mission; (vi) build trust between partners from the beginning and for the duration of the partnership; (vii) ensure balance between maintenance and production activities; (viii) consider the impact of political, economic, cultural, social and organizational contexts; and (ix) evaluate partnerships for continuous improvement. Future research is needed to examine the relationship between these processes and how they impact the longer-term outcomes of intersectoral partnerships.
Funder
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Publisher DOI
10.1093/heapro/daw061
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Ireland
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Externally hosted open access publications with University of Galway authors (2)