Kiss the Frog - when specialties meet

Background: Most chronic diseases should be treated in general practice and there is a national strategy on strengthening general practices role as responsible for primary care as well as for coordination of patient trajectories across the healthcare system. This calls for innovative approaches.
Aim: To develop and evaluate an intervention on strengthening cross sectorial collaboration between hospitals and general practice by introducing specialty meetings in general practice.
Design and Method: A feasibility study followed by a process evaluation using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
We will invite all general practitioners (GP) around Lillebaelt Hospital, who during a two-year period will receive visits from hospital specialists from Lillebaelt Hospital. Five different specialties will take part (endocrinology, pneumonology, cardiology, pediatrics and gastroenterology). Every participating GP will through a 4-month period receive three visits from every specialty conducting specialty meetings with or without the patient present.
Discussion: Our hypothesis is that bringing hospital consultants and general practitioners together in a specialty meeting can provide a strengthened cross sectorial collaboration and a continuously high professional standard through knowledge sharing and relations build.