Orchestrating the Development of a Sustainable Network IT Solution for a Research Network: Qualitative Participatory...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Primary Care Research
• Sociotechnical Systems

Background:

• Practice-based research networks (PBRNs) require robust IT infrastructure for coordination and data management across distributed primary care practices.
• Federated initiatives face sociotechnical challenges due to diverse users, heterogeneous systems, and multiple governance levels needing alignment on digital solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a participatory process for developing sustainable, interoperable IT solutions for multiple regional PBRNs.
• To identify sociotechnical factors influencing the development process of shared digital solutions.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative participatory multimethod design using iterative consensus-based IT development.
• Interdisciplinary workshops with 40 stakeholders from 6 PBRNs.
• Qualitative content analysis of internal documents (2020-2025) to trace sociotechnical dynamics.

Main Results:

• Heterogeneity in IT ambitions and resources across PBRNs necessitated network-specific contexts within a federated architecture.
• Consensus reached on 6 core use cases and 2 national proofs-of-concept, including KPI reporting and pseudonymized practice queries.
• A 3-tier practice relationship management infrastructure was developed, balancing local autonomy with central management and data sovereignty.

Conclusions:

• National interoperable IT infrastructure for PBRNs depends on social and organizational alignment, not just technical solutions.
• Iterative collaboration, transparent governance, and stakeholder engagement are crucial for building trust and shared understanding.
• Strengthening relational and organizational elements is vital for sustaining implementation and realizing the potential of federated data infrastructures.