Reconciling practice, research and reality of integrated care. Critical reflections on the state of a discipline

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to critically reflect on the practice, rhetoric and reality of integrating care. Echoing Le Grand's framework of motivation, agency and policy, it is argued that the stories the authors tell themselves why the authors embark on integration programmes differ from the reasons why managers commit to these programmes. This split between policy rhetoric and reality has implications for the way the authors investigate integration.

Design/methodology/approach

Examining current integration policy, practice and research, the paper adopts the critical framework articulated by Le Grand about the underlying assumptions of health care policy and practice.

Findings

It is argued that patient perspectives are speciously placed at the centre of integration policy but mask the existing organizational and managerial rationalities of integration. Making the patient the measure of all things integration would turn this agenda back on its feet.

Originality/value

The paper discusses the underlying assumptions of integration policy, practice and research. Increasing the awareness about the gap between what the authors do, why the authors do it and the stories the authors tell themselves about it injects a much needed amount of criticality into research and practice.

Citation

Kaehne, A. (2020), "Reconciling practice, research and reality of integrated care. Critical reflections on the state of a discipline", Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 28 No. 3, pp. 311-318. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICA-07-2020-078