Conditions for Effective Inter-Organisational Collaboration: A Scoping Review of Contextual Factors in Successful Integration between Health and Social Care for Older Adults

Collaboration among various care providers is increasingly recognised as essential to meet the complex needs of older adults, who often require both medical care and social support delivered by separate providers.

Without effective coordination, care can become fragmented, potentially delaying recovery, increasing stress for patients and families, and driving up costs.

Despite extensive research on inter-organisational collaboration, particularly focusing on individual health outcomes, knowledge remains limited regarding how contextual factors influence the conditions for successful collaboration.

For instance, the impact of organisational type, governance, and funding structures on the likelihood of effective collaboration is still not well understood.

Studies examining the effects of collaboration at the organisational level, in particular, have been less explored.With a growing emphasis on collaboration as a solution to major and complex challenges, there is a risk that collaborative initiatives between separate providers may be implemented without thorough analysis.

This could lead to increased costs without achieving the expected benefits for individual service users or organisations overall.

Therefore, there is a strong need for evidence-based guidance to help decision-makers design effective collaborative efforts.This scoping review aims to provide decision-makers and policymakers with evidence-based insights on when inter-organisational collaboration is most likely to be both effective and efficient.

By systematically reviewing international research, the review will (1) identify successful collaboration models, (2) examine the characteristics of contexts where collaboration is most successful, and (3) analyse how factors that facilitate or hinder collaboration may differ across various settings and models.The findings are expected to offer practical guidance for decision-makers at all levels within municipalities and regions responsible for healthcare and social care for older adults.

Insights from this review will be disseminated through academic publications, popular science articles, and direct presentations at relevant networking events with policymakers involved in these areas.