Competencies for managers of care pathways: an exploratory study

This study was conducted to prioritize the competencies for the operational manager regarding the management of care pathways. In the Schouten & Nelissen Competence Model (SNCM), the operational manager works according to the management style 'task-centred leader/producer'. A measurement instrument was developed to conduct a Delphi study. The competencies on which complete consensus has been reached were presented to a focus group in the second phase of the study. The Delphi was carried out with five experts in three rounds. Complete consensus on 30 competencies was reached. The focus group consisted of three participants and produced 10 core competencies. These belong to the level of operational management and the management style 'task-centred leader/producer' in the SNCM. The number of experts in both the Delphi study and focus group was limited, which may have influenced the outcome. There is hardly any literature on competencies operational managers' need for managing care pathways. This study has produced 10 competencies that the operational manager needs for coordinating care pathways. These core competencies can be used to specify or complete the competence profile of operational managers working with care pathways.