OBJECTIVES: The Esther Network (EN) model, a person-centred care innovation in Sweden, was adopted in Singapore to promote person-centredness and improve integration between health and social care practitioners. This realist evaluation aimed to explain its adoption and adaptation in Singapore.

DESIGN: An organisational case study using a realist evaluation approach drawing on Greenhalgh et al (2004)'s Diffusion of Innovations in Service Organisations to guide data collection and analysis. Data collection included interviews with seven individuals and three focus groups (including stakeholders from the macrosystem, mesosystem and microsystem levels) about their experiences of EN in Singapore, and field notes from participant observations of EN activities.

SETTING: SingHealth, a healthcare cluster serving a population of 1.37 million residents in Eastern Singapore.

PARTICIPANTS: Policy makers (n=4), EN programme implementers (n=3), practitioners (n=6) and service users (n=7) participated in individual interviews or focus group discussions.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome data from healthcare institutions (n=13) and community agencies (n=59) were included in document analysis.

RESULTS: Singapore's ageing population and need to transition from a hospital-based model to a more sustainable community-based model provided an opportunity for change. The personalised nature and logic of the EN model resonated with leaders and led to collective adoption. Embedded cultural influences such as the need for order and hierarchical structures were both barriers to, and facilitators of, change. Coproduction between service users and practitioners in making care improvements deepened the relationships and commitments that held the network together.

CONCLUSIONS: The enabling role of leaders (macrosystem level), the bridging role of practitioners (mesosystem level) and the unifying role of service users (microsystem level) all contributed to EN's success in Singapore. Understanding these roles helps us understand how staff at various levels can contribute to the adoption and adaptation of EN and similar complex innovations systemwide.

Introduction: The Esther Network (EN) person-centred care (PCC) advocacy training aims to promote person-centred attitudes among health practitioners in Singapore. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the training and practitioners’ PCC attributes over a 3-month period, and to explore power sharing by examining the PCC dimensions of “caring about the service user as a whole person” and the “sharing of power, control and information”. Methods: A repeated-measure study design utilising the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS), was administered to 437 training participants at three time points – before training (T1), immediately after (T2) and three months after training (T3). A five-statement questionnaire captured knowledge of person-centred care at T1 and T2. An Overall score, Caring and Sharing sub-scores were derived from the PPOS. Scores were ranked and divided into three groups (high, medium and low). Ordinal Generalised Estimating Equation (GEE) model analysed changes in PPOS scores over time. Results: A single, short-term training appeared to result in measurable improvements in person-centredness of health practitioners, with slight attenuation at T3. There was greater tendency to “care” than to “share power” with service users across all three time points, but the degree of improvement was larger for sharing after training. The change in overall person-centred scores varied by sex and profession (females score higher than males, allied health showed a smaller attenuation at T3). Conclusion: Training as a specific intervention, appeared to have potential to increase health practitioners’ person-centredness but the aspect of equalising power was harder to achieve within a hierarchical structure and clinician-centric culture. An ongoing network to build relationships, and a supportive system to facilitate individual and organisational reflexivity can reinforce learning.