Going in circles? - Identifying the dissemination process of healthcare networks within their member organizations

Area of Science:

• Health services research
• Organizational network analysis
• Implementation science

Background:

• Purpose-oriented networks are common in healthcare but often fail to improve health outcomes.
• Limited adaptation of network-level decisions by member organizations hinders impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a process model explaining the dissemination of network-level decisions to operational levels within multi-hospital networks.
• To identify factors inhibiting successful dissemination and provide a framework for network managers.

Main Methods:

• In-depth multiple case study of three multi-hospital networks.
• Data collection included observations, document analysis, and semi-structured interviews.
• Analysis involved identifying a cyclical dissemination process and inhibiting factors.

Main Results:

• A five-component cyclical dissemination process was identified: transferrable output, brokerage, internal transfer, adoption, and organizational input.
• Lack of time, commitment, and constituency misalignment were identified as key inhibiting factors.
• The developed model explains network failures and offers a framework for improvement.

Conclusions:

• Understanding the cyclical dissemination process and inhibiting factors is crucial for network success.
• Network managers can use the proposed framework to systematically address barriers and enhance dissemination.
• This research provides insights into improving the effectiveness of healthcare networks.