Collaboration is not a new phenomenon. What is new is that collaboration has come to stay and we can no longer choose whether or not we want to work together. Collaboration between health professionals and/or organizations is a public health issue that is growing in importance
because of increasing healthcare costs and specialization that has led to fragmentation of the welfare services. While collaboration has increased and become an important organizational strategy in delivering services, there is now a greater need to evaluate collaboration, which is neither a small nor an easy task. Collaboration is managed in many different ways, all of which are unique. Integration of social services also presents a particular challenge for evaluators, as integration involves, by nature, complex approaches to service provision. Evaluation methods are useful tools, and help to ensure that collaboration functions optimally. The aim of the study is to present a framework used in an evaluation of intersectoral collaboration at municipal level. The framework is called the Five Key Components (FiKC).
The method used is a case study involving evaluation of intersectoral collaboration in the work of the Addiction Centre in Sweden. The collaboration is between three municipalities and the county health authority. The evaluation design was a mixed-method approach.
Program theory was used as an evaluation tool. The evaluation was both goal and process oriented. Critical Discourse Analysis was used in the analysis of the focus group interviews. Observations took place at the workplace meetings and referral meetings. The seven focus group interviews were held with the respective professions in the Addiction Centre and three with the social workers in the municipalities outside the Addiction Centre. Vignette survey was also conducted. Statistics about Addiction Centre were collected. The results have shown that the FiKC framework is useful in evaluation of intersectoral collaboration at local and municipal level. It provides an evaluator at local and municipal levels with a tool for mapping the five key components in the collaboration. It helps the collaboration partners identify and understand the presence or lack of cooperation in different areas and between different players. The framework has not been tested in a larger (national) collaboration project. The conclusion is that the FiKC framework can be used in evaluating the effectiveness of collaboration