Tensions between the Professions: How Integrated Care Can Benefit from Better Understanding and Managing Conflicting Perspectives and Demands

Abstract

In the transition from fragmented to integrated care, tensions are inevitable. Contradictions between the actors of the different professions involved can have negative but also positive effects on change processes in the healthcare system. This is especially true for integrated care, where collaboration among the workforce is pivotal. Therefore, efforts should not be made to avoid tensions from the outset, if this is at all possible, but to deal with them constructively. The attention of leading actors must be increased to recognize, analyse, and successfully manage tensions. The creative potential of tensions can be harnessed to successfully implement integrated care and engage the diverse workforce.