HELIKS: Formative Evaluation of Digital Collaboration and Interoperability in the Healthcare Sector
Description
The HELIKS project aims to generate knowledge on the implementation of new digital solutions for knowledge exchange across levels of healthcare services. This includes examining the effects and value these solutions provide for healthcare professionals. This will be achieved through a formative process evaluation of the solutions developed in the ShareIT project.
ShareIT (ShareIT — Inovacare) is a Pilot Health project funded by the Research Council of Norway (2024–2027). The project aims to improve the working conditions of healthcare professionals by developing and piloting solutions for standardized data sharing between electronic patient record (EPR) systems in both primary and specialist healthcare services, as well as third-party digital home monitoring systems (DHM).
Goals
The HELIKS project will:
- Investigate end-users’ (healthcare professionals and managers) existing collaboration practices and workflows prior to the implementation of the ShareIT solutions, as well as their expectations of the new solutions.
- Analyze the effects of the ShareIT solutions, including how they influence collaboration, workflows, and task distribution across levels of care, as well as identifying both expected and unforeseen positive and negative consequences for end-users.
- Examine the value generated by the ShareIT solutions for healthcare professionals.
- Synthesize key lessons learned to inform implementation in other municipalities and hospitals
Method
The project includes both formative and summative evaluation approaches (before and after implementation) to support complex service innovation processes.
Formative evaluation is a qualitative approach aimed at identifying potential and actual barriers and facilitators that influence the progress and effectiveness of innovation processes. The purpose is to follow a project over time to map and evaluate the sociotechnical interplay between technology, users, and organizational context.
Methods include:
- Interviews with stakeholders
- Mapping and observation of workflows with and without new technology
This approach provides insight into what occurs, why it occurs, and under which conditions.
The formative evaluation is guided by the structured NASSS framework (Non-adoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability), which enables evaluating not only the effectiveness of digital tools but also the broader contextual dynamics influencing implementation, adoption, and scaling. These dynamics are critical for shaping the success of digital innovations in complex healthcare systems.
Summative evaluation is a quantitative approach used to assess whether a project has achieved its intended objectives. In this context, it involves examining:
- Whether the ShareIT solutions are being used
- Whether healthcare professionals perceive the solutions as useful
- Whether the solutions contribute to efficient and high-quality collaboration in patient pathways across organizational levels
Summative evaluation is conducted at the end of an implementation phase or at defined project milestones. It complements formative evaluation, which emphasizes continuous adaptation throughout the process.
Conclusion
HELIKS is a three-year project funded through strategic research funding from Northern Norway Regional Health Authority (Helse Nord).