Before the tool

How early design work shapes nurse-led innovation at Karolinska University Hospital

About the project

Digital transformation does not begin when a new technology is switched on. Decisions made long before implementation can already change how people work, collaborate, and understand their professional roles.

This project follows the early development of a potential digital idea-management system at Karolinska University Hospital to understand how the design process itself shapes nurse-led innovation.

Why this matters

Healthcare systems face growing pressure from resource shortages, coordination challenges, and sustainability demands. Nurses work close to patients and everyday healthcare processes, making them an important source of ideas for improving care.

Karolinska University Hospital launched its Healthcare Frontline Innovation Program in 2024 to strengthen nurse-led, bottom-up innovation. The initiative includes exploration of a future digital idea-management system, potentially supported by AI.

What we are studying

The project asks how the work of designing a future digital system changes:

  • Frontline innovation practices.
  • Nurses’ professional roles and identities.
  • Governance and coordination structures.

Rather than studying technology only after implementation, the research examines what happens while organizations are still deciding what the technology should become.

Research design

The project is a longitudinal qualitative case study running from 2025 to 2027.

The research combines interviews, observations, workshops, and document analysis to follow the innovation process over time.

Expected contribution

For Region Stockholm, the research can provide insights into how to strengthen nurse engagement, identify organizational barriers to scaling innovation, and inform the design of future digital and AI-supported tools.

More broadly, the project can help explain how healthcare organizations can develop sustainable, human-centered innovation systems.

Research team

  • Korinzia Toniolo, Postdoctoral Researcher, House of Innovation, Stockholm School of Economics.