The COST Action IS0903 “Enhancing the Role of Medicine in the Management of European Health Systems - Implications for Control, Innovation and User Voice” (short: Doctors in Management) is an international research network led and managed by the Centre for Innovation in Health Management (CIHM) at the University of Leeds. It aims to increase our understanding of the changing roles of medical professions in the management of health care. In 22 countries, including South Africa and Australia as non-COST member countries, we will be conducting and coordinating comparative research. Tapping the full potential of the numerous members and their cultural and academic diversity, this COST Action is interested in comparing different national health management systems and different areas of impact, focussing especially on the acute hospital sector. It aims to contribute to our understanding how health management reforms have unfolded across different European states and how they affected areas like financial control, innovation and service user voice.
The support for this research network comes from a successful COST bid. COST - European Cooperation in Science and Technology - was the first and is the widest European network for the coordination of nationally funded research. The funds provide support the coordination costs of the research networks (actions) while the research itself is funded nationally. The driving principle is that by encouraging participants of the international research community to work more closely together we can make more effective use of scarce research funding. This in turn will contribute to the broader goals of the EU and specifically in our case help better inform those who work in and for as well as use and research health services in Europe. The CIHM supports the coordination and organisation of the collaborative research projects and network events.
Our joint work programme for which we receive a financial contribution includes;