International Journal of Healthcare Simulation

Background and aim:

Taking simulation from concept through to scalable delivery is complex, contested and an under-theorized process. The traditional approaches to scaling innovations, proposed by Everett Rogers in the 1960s is the notion of diffusion of innovation; we argue that this is of limited use in our context of working with NHS health professionals supporting their learning post-covid. Our approach to scaling draws the upon the well-tested seminal works on taxonomies by Coburn (2003) [1] and her dimensional framework, Dede et al (2007) [2], with their educational scaling model, plus the systematic review of Greenhalgh et al (2004) [3] in health services.

Activity:

By considering the ways in which our eight Health Education England (HEE) simulation projects have been delivered, this work presents an emerging framework, designed to enable the orchestration of team discourse about theory, the production of simulation artefacts as tools for design discourse and the identification of scalable systemic pain points. We pay particular attention to scaling innovations in practice and organizational change, which are in our view enabling factors in the sustainable adoption of learning technologies by end users in the workplace.

Findings:

Successful scaling is more than just being about the number of users we can reach. It requires underpinning by an understanding about the changes in practice an innovation can bring about, and how valuable these changes are to stakeholders. Challenges remain as to whether such changes can be sustained over time, and the extent to which users and stakeholders are involved in co-creating the innovation. Individuals within the organizations – and their attitudes, beliefs, and habits – play an equally important role in exploring new technologies and practices with an open mind and perceiving these as an added value in their work environment and daily routines.

Conclusion:

This work illustrates the need to strategically involve the ‘missing middle’ and starts to identify the key role these people play in that space between where scaling factors reside between top-down strategy and bottom-up initiatives.

Ethics statement:

Authors confirm that all relevant ethical standards for research conduct and dissemination have been met. The submitting author confirms that relevant ethical approval was granted, if applicable.