Posted on July 13, 2026
The DrDoctor project focused on using staff insights to support the successful adoption of a secure digital patient engagement platform across Sirona’s musculoskeletal (MSK) services. By conducting an independent evaluation and staff survey, the initiative ensured that implementation planning was shaped by frontline perspectives, fostering better communication and confidence among staff during the rollout.
Challenge
The successful implementation of digital innovations in healthcare settings depends on staff understanding the change, feeling involved in its development, and having confidence in new ways of working.
Before Sirona’s rollout of DrDoctor (a secure digital patient engagement platform) across their musculoskeletal (MSK) services, there was an opportunity to better understand staff experiences, priorities, and readiness for implementation as the project evolved. By collecting this evidence, our Evaluation and Insights team aimed to ensure implementation planning was informed by the most up-to-date frontline perspectives.
Approach
Health Innovation West of England’s Evaluation and Insights team designed and delivered a baseline mixed methods staff survey as part of our independent evaluation of the DrDoctor implementation.
The survey explored staff experiences of current administrative processes, perceptions of their work, expectations of DrDoctor, and readiness for implementation.
Findings were synthesised into a baseline report and shared with project leads and senior stakeholders.
Result
The evaluation provided timely evidence that influenced the implementation approach in the ongoing rollout. The findings showed that some staff would have benefited from more information and increased consultation around the rollout plan and role clarity.
In response, Sirona developed a ‘You Said, We Did’ communication to demonstrate how staff feedback had informed implementation planning, alongside actions to strengthen staff engagement and communication throughout the rollout. The baseline findings also informed discussions during Theory of Change workshops, ensuring the implementation plan reflected staff experiences and identified risks before implementation began.
This demonstrates how early evaluation can support continuous improvement rather than simply measuring outcomes after implementation.
Find out more
For more information on this ongoing project, please contact our Evaluation and Insights team: healthinnowest.evaluation@nhs.net.
