Evaluation of an intervention to improve the safety of medication therapy via HIT-supported interprofessional cooperation in long-term care – a mixed method study

BACKGROUND: In order to ensure the provision of appropriate and safe medication therapy in long-term care, close interprofessional cooperation and high levels of expertise are required. Online digital documentation and communication technology facilitate this process. The aim of the present study (sub-study 2 of the SiMbA-Study) was to evaluate a three-part health information technology (HIT) driven intervention on medication therapy safety in Austrian nursing homes (NHs) regarding its usefulness, practicability and implementation in routine care. METHODS: A concurrent embedded mixed-methods design was conducted to evaluate the intervention. Data was collected via expert interviews, focus group discussions and quantitative survey of general practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists in 3 NHs. Usefulness and effectiveness of the intervention were investigated through summative evaluation. Formative evaluation was utilized to gain insights regarding features and factors of the implementation process necessary to a successful integration in routine care. RESULTS: The sample comprised general practitioners, pharmacists, and nurses. 23 participants were interviewed, of which 17 participated in the focus group discussions and completed the quantitative Survey. All components of the intervention were deemed to be useful and effective. Effort and benefit of using health information technology were well balanced. Implementation success was mainly attributed to socio-normative factors. CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of HIT-based measures can be effective but is prone to various pitfalls that are highlighted in the study. A critical challenge for successful implementation is the combination of both, ensuring its prerequisites, while anticipating new problems that arise from HIT-integration on the one hand and changes in interprofessional cooperation on the other. TRIAL REGISTRATION: DRKS Data Management, ID: DRKS00012246. Registered 16.05.2017 – Retrospectively registered. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12913-022-08562-6.