An Innovation Platform to Strengthen Primary Health Care Systems for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians: A Methodologically Pluralist Evaluation

Abstract

Innovation platforms (IP) bring together diverse stakeholders to exchange ideas about addressing challenging problems. The inherent complex nature of IPs poses challenges for evaluators, and although it is recommended that multiple evaluation methods be used, this is not commonly done in practice. In this thesis, a methodologically pluralist approach was taken to evaluate and iteratively refine an IP to strengthen primary health care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. The thesis comprises four related sub-studies: A developmental evaluation to inform the ongoing decision-making and reflection about, and adaptation of, the IP. Examples of adaptations include the appointment of another Indigenous researcher to the leadership team and an increase in resources to develop policy submissions. A principles-focused evaluation to explore both the implementation of, and outcomes from, a set of guiding principles developed as part of the governance of the IP. These principles enabled members to navigate complexity and to embrace diverse and sometimes conflicting perspectives. A co-authorship network analysis to understand the growth and emergence of research outputs. This demonstrated increased productivity over time, greater authorship diversity and expansion of research themes, which in turn reflected a decentralised network. A framework analysis that used a learning collaborative taxonomy to identify factors that facilitated collaboration. For example, the duration of time that stakeholders worked together was influential, and underpinned the IPs trusting relationships, a collective identity, and an inclusive approach to new members.

The methodologically pluralist evaluation yielded a nuanced understanding of the IP that would have been difficult to achieve with any single evaluation method. Each sub-study, individually and combined, helped to open the ‘black box’ of the IP, informing its formation and iteratively assessing its functions and outcomes.