Health Informatics Seminar Series: The Nonadoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) framework for health technology – Theory and application to Health Informatics

Series Overview

The joint Health Informatics seminar series is a collaboration between the Faculty of Information (iSchool) and the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation. It aims to build bridges between people from these units, who share an interest in and passion for information and communication technology (ICT) for health—reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of Health Informatics, which is at the intersection of information, technology, social sciences, and health. Speakers will discuss their cutting-edge research on a variety of topics.

Session Description

Healthcare can be thought of as a complex adaptive system. As such, there is a growing recognition of the need to emphasize dynamic processes while implementing healthcare innovation. The Non-Adoption, Abandonment, Scale-up, Spread, and Sustainability (NASSS) framework was introduced in 2017 by Greenhalgh et al. to enhance the ability to predict and assess the success of implementing innovative technologies in healthcare. The NASSS encompasses seven distinct domains influence the adoption and outcomes of innovations.

Suggested reading: Greenhalgh T, Wherton J, Papoutsi C, Lynch J, Hughes G, Hinder S, Fahy N, Procter R, Shaw S. Beyond adoption: a new framework for theorizing and evaluating nonadoption, abandonment, and challenges to the scale-up, spread, and sustainability of health and care technologies. Journal of medical Internet research. 2017 Nov 1;19(11):e8775.

Speaker Bio

Jenny Gatov is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (IHPME), specializing in Health Informatics. Her dissertation focuses on evaluating the real-world impact of Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) in Ontario. She is currently conducting quantitative studies using linked health-administrative data to analyze patient characteristics, treatment completion, and outcomes, and is planning a qualitative study to support the broader implementation of iCBT in the province. With a background in psychology and a Master’s in epidemiology from the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Jenny has over 10 years of experience in mental health services research using population-based methods and published over 20 peer-reviewed papers to date. Before pursuing her PhD, she led the COVID-19 mathematical modeling portfolio at Toronto Public Health and contributed to planning the vaccine implementation in the city. Currently, she works as the Data & Analytics Lead at Creative Destruction Lab, a startup accelerator mentorship program that focuses on early-stage, science-based ventures.