Digital Health Interventions for Adults with Acquired Brain Injury and Their Close Others: Implementation, Scalability, and Sustainability in the COVID-19 Context

The Social Brain Toolkit is a novel suite of web-based interventions to support people with acquired brain injury and their close others with communication difficulties post-injury. The aim of this study was to investigate potential impacts of the Toolkit’s wider political, economic, regulatory, professional, and sociocultural context on its implementation, scalability, and sustainability. Nine people with academic, healthcare or industry experience implementing digital health interventions prior to and during COVID-19 were individually interviewed. Data were deductively analysed according to the Non-adoption, Abandonment, Scaleup, Spread and Sustainability framework, with a focus on the domain of the ‘Wider system’. Results indicated that COVID-19 facilitated a pivot to virtual care models which was timely for the implementation of the Social Brain Toolkit; political and economic changes were entwined; and risk management, data compliance and governance were key considerations for healthcare professionals and organisations.