Overcoming the barriers: a qualitative study of simulation adoption in the NHS

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 organizations. The research presented here is a case study to evaluate the adoption of one particular simulation modelling tool, Scenario Generator, which was developed by the SIMUL8 Corporation in a PPI partnership with the UK’s National Health Service 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 Scenario Generator 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.