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Abstract
This paper addresses a key issue in the health OR literature, namely the apparent failure of OR modelling to become embedded and widely implemented within healthcare organisations. The research presented here is a case study to evaluate the adoption of one particular simulation modelling tool, Scenario Generator (S:G), which was developed by the SIMUL8 Corporation in a PPI partnership with the UK's National Health Service (NHS) Institute for Innovation and Improvement. The study involved semi-structured interviews with employees of 28 Primary Care Trusts who had all been engaged in some way with the initiative, with participants classified as ‘Not Started’, ‘Given Up’ and ‘Actively Using’. This paper presents a brief summary of barriers and facilitators to the successful use of the S:G software, but its main purpose is to focus more broadly on factors influencing the successful adoption of simulation tools in general within healthcare organisations. The insights gained in this study are relevant to improving the uptake of OR modelling in general within the NHS.
Acknowledgements
The authors are very grateful to the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement for commissioning them to undertake this interesting study. They are also very grateful to the S:G project manager for her input in terms of time and data. We would particularly like to thank her for her candidness in responding to our questions, which has meant that this study has been able to address a wide range of issues around the adoption (or otherwise) of S:G. We also would like to express our deep gratitude to the 28 interviewees, who generously gave their time to answer all our questions with great honesty and thoughtfulness, providing us with such a rich and valuable source of data. We fully appreciate how busy NHS staff are and we really do appreciate the contributions of all our study participants.