The NHS Long Term Plan recognises the importance of research and innovation to drive future outcomes improvements and the need to speed up the pipeline for developing and implementing proven and affordable technologies. However, the innovation pathway in the NHS is complex and requires tools to contribute to the efficient working of the organisation and information sharing.

Devices for Dignity (D4D) is a MedTech Co-operative established by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) that has developed an effective model for healthcare technology innovation management.

To satisfy the need to collaboratively manage the innovation activities in D4D, and following the evaluation and rejection of different commercial IT tools, a new web application named InnovationManager was developed in-house.

We conducted an evaluation of InnovationManager using the Computer System Usability Questionnaire (CSUQ). Participants were recruited from the team of NIHR researchers who had been continuously using the system for a minimum period of one year. Ten individuals responded to the invitation to take part in the study and were directed to an online questionnaire, rating each of the 19 items in CSUQ. Responses for each item were summed and averaged to three subscales (Interface Quality, Information Quality, System Usefulness) and an overall scale.

Users found the system very usable and useful, with average scores for each of the subscales and the overall scale above the upper quartile on each 7-point scale. Users highlighted InnovationManager had increased the visibility of their work, facilitated the collaboration with colleagues and partners, reduced duplication of efforts, and supported their daily tasks with shared information.

Results demonstrate the high level of user satisfaction and the suitability of this digital solution to promote collaborative working and accelerate the innovation pathway in the NHS.