Sustaining values-driven innovation in primary healthcare: a protocol for identifying implementation strategies for long-term impact (longitudinal participatory study)

Responding to system pressures, fragmentation, and growing project fatigue in primary care, this study examines how values-driven innovations (VDIs) can be successfully embedded and sustained by (1) defining what constitutes a values-driven innovation, (2) identifying strategies and mechanisms that support long-term implementation, and (3) co-developing evidence-based sustainability indicators with stakeholders. By integrating four complementary theoretical frameworks and examining the full lifecycle from conceptualization to long-term sustainment, it generates actionable insights to strengthen enduring, values-based transformation in primary care.

This study uses a longitudinal, theory-informed, multi-stakeholder design. Over three years, we follow selected VDIs from conceptualization through long-term sustainment, using multiple data sources and repeated timepoints to capture dynamic implementation processes. An integrated conceptual framework: combining realist evaluation, the Dynamic Sustainability Framework, Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, and Normalization Process Theory, guides all phases. The three-phase design includes: (1) defining VDI and mapping the innovation landscape; (2) conducting longitudinal case studies using document analysis, serial interviews, and questionnaires; and (3) co-creating an actionable sustainability model and monitoring indicators with stakeholders. Continuous reflexive practice, triangulation, and participatory engagement ensure rigor and relevance.

Despite the analytical complexity of using multiple frameworks, this integration provides a comprehensive understanding of sustainability and contextual adaptation in primary care.

The study protocol was approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of Antwerp (reference number 2025–7124).