Town vs. gown: a poor excuse for not communicating.

This study addresses barriers in the knowledge exchange process between educators and practitioners in healthcare administration. It examines and compares the attitudes of both toward the process of communication, barriers to effective communication, and methods for overcoming them. The study suggests several pragmatic linkages between educators and practitioners. A survey questionnaire was mailed to 400 randomly selected chief executive officers of hospitals and 210 healthcare administration educators. Responses were received from 49.3% of the practitioner group and 54.3% of the educator group for an overall return rate of 51.0%. The results suggest that educators and practitioners have grown remote. However, the two groups agreed on barriers to the effective flow of new knowledge between them and on mechanisms to overcome them. The study indicates that educators and practitioners can interface more effectively by forming linkages in which attitudes and information are shared. There is the potential for creating an environment more conductive to communication, role definition, and knowledge exchange than exists currently. The creation of a symbiotic environment could not only enhance the process of healthcare administration education, but also the practice of the profession.