Qualitative evaluation of a health management education partnership

Results of ongoing cooperation of four educational institutions in the field of Health Management Education in Slovakia are reviewed. The specific benefit of multilateral collaboration for the situation in central Europe is discussed in the context of a Health Management Education Partnership (HMEP). The project is based on a grant from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with assistance from the American International Health Alliance (AIHA). The U.S. partner is the University of Scranton, Scranton, Pennsylvania. Three organizations are involved in the partnership from the Slovak Republic: Trnava University, University of Matej Bel in Banska Bystrica and the Health Management School (HMS) in Bratislava, each having specific priority and focus in health management education. The HMEP program is designed to reach about 30 teachers of health administration as well as 200 undergraduates, senior and middle managers from health service organizations every year. The collaborative endeavor stimulates the communication and creation of personal and human relations, not only on an individual and institutional level, but on a community as well as national and international level. The project supports the development of knowledge and skills, professional identity and educational processes in health management. The emphasis is on increasing the quality of education and training in Slovakia through multilateral collaboration, curricula development, professional development, symposia, support of consultancies and accreditation. Specific areas of content are designed to address health policy, law, ethics, insurance and quality improvement.