Transferability of an Integrated Care Platform: Use Case

Abstract

The transfer and implementation of digital health solutions from one setting to another can be challenging. This study functioned as a use case to examine the transferability of a digital integrated care platform from research to practice. In 2019, a healthcare facility in Belgium aimed to advance supported self-management and integrated care for patients with Type II diabetes, aged be-tween 18 and 75 years old. Methodology: The ProACT integrated care platform was implemented in a healthcare facility that consisted of a multidisciplinary team, monitoring a total of 12 participants with Diabetes Type II for a duration of six months. By using a qualitative method, we conducted interviews with diabetes educators, held focus groups with healthcare providers and used ethnographic documentation. Findings: The choice of using the ProACT platform was a top-down decision made by management and the qualitative data showed that the readiness and willingness of the employees to incorporate the platform hindered the implementation. They welcomed the technology, however all employ-ees noted the additional workload they experienced on top of an already full work schedule. As a result, organisation-specific, solution-specific, process-specific and individual-specific barriers were identified. Conclusion: The use case on implementing an integrated care platform outside of a research setting, corroborated barriers identified in the ProACT transferability framework. This paper will reflect on the ProACT transferability framework and highlight the practical challenges healthcare facilities could face.