Formative independent evaluation of a digital change programme in the English National Health Service: Study protocol for a longitudinal qualitative study

Kathrin M. Cresswell, Aziz Sheikh, Bryony Dean Franklin, Marta Krasuska, Hung Nguyen, Susan Hinder, Wendy Lane, Hajar Mozaffar, Kathy Mason, Sally Eason, Henry W.W. Potts, Robin Williams

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

Introduction: Many countries are launching large-scale, digitally enabled change programmes as part of efforts to improve the quality, safety and efficiency of care. We have been commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of a major national change programme, the Global Digital Exemplar (GDE) Programme, which aims to develop exemplary digital health solutions and encourage their wider adoption by creating a learning ecosystem across English National Health Service (NHS) provider organisations.

Methods and analysis: This theoretically-informed, qualitative, longitudinal formative evaluation comprises five interrelated work packages. We will conduct a combination of 12 in-depth and 23 broader qualitative case studies in GDE sites exploring digital transformation, local learning and mechanisms of spread of knowledge within the Programme and across the wider NHS. Data will be collected through a combination of semi-structured interviews with managers, implementation staff (clinical and non-clinical), vendors and policymakers, plus non-participant observations of meetings, site-visits, workshops, and documentary analysis of strategic local and national plans. Data will be analysed through a combination of inductive and deductive methods, beginning with in-depth case study sites and testing the findings against data from the wider sample and national stakeholders.

Ethics and dissemination: This work is commissioned as part of a national change programme and is therefore a service evaluation. We have ethical approval from the University of Edinburgh. Results will be disseminated at six-monthly intervals to national policymakers, and made available via our publicly accessible website. We will also identify lessons for the management and evaluation of large-scale evolving digital health change programmes that are of international relevance.
Original languageEnglish
JournalBMJ Open
Volume10
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 8 Oct 2020

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