Innovation readiness assessment in healthcare organizations

Objective. To develop the innovation readiness index for medical organizations and its checklist-based assessment. Material and methods. We extracted the factors determining readiness of medical organization to implement certain innovative medical technologies from regulatory legal acts and scientific publications. We analyzed federal laws, decrees of the Government of the Russian Federation, orders of the Ministry of Health of Russia, other methodological materials, as well as foreign and national scientific publications devoted to implementation of innovative medical technologies in medical organizations. These factors were combined in groups and blocks. The last ones underlie checklist questions for innovation readiness assessment. Results. We identified 7 blocks of factors influencing implementation of innovative medical technology in medical organizations: 1) sufficient qualification and motivation of personnel; 2) readiness and interest of management and founders of medical organization in implementing the innovative method; 3) sufficient patient population for certain innovative method; 4) practical experience in analogues of innovative method; 5) availability of necessary equipment and/or drugs; 6) availability of necessary buildings and premises; 7) sufficient tariffs and volumes of medical care for innovative method and its analogue. A checklist of seven sections corresponding to these blocks of factors was proposed. Each block contains 1—5 statements characterizing the state of medical organization. Each statement is assessed as “yes” (agreed with statement, score 1) or “no” (disagreed, score 0). The environment of medical organization is ready to implement innovative medical technology if total score ≥8. There should be “yes” answer to at least one statement from each section of checklist and 1 additional score in any another section. Conclusion. The developed innovation readiness index is based on a checklist containing 7 blocks. This checklist and appropriate criteria require validation through expert survey.