Le reti sociali e i professionisti in sanità: una review della letteratura

Social networks and social capital of healthcare professionals have gained momentum. An increasing number of clinical outlets and management journals in the field are welcoming articles in which relational coordination mechanisms are considered as the “right” way to face the numerous challenges of modern healthcare. The higher specialization of providers has to be balanced with the need of integration and coordination that emerging patients’ needs increasingly require. Despite this vivid debate, there is still a lack of systematic analyses of scientific contributions on this topic. This paper is aimed at filling this gap by reviewing 76 articles, which were selected and later analyzed by accessing the ISI Web of Knowledge database. The article reviews the antecedents and consequences of professionals’ social capital discussed in the literature. Knowing these antecedents and consequences, policy makers and managers can better plan and introduce any organizational innovations.