Practical Application of Maturity Models in Healthcare: Findings from Multiple Digitalization Case Studies

Maturity models (MMs) are widely applied means for describing a current status of development across numerous domains, but also within the healthcare sector. They offer orientation for systematic development and improvement regarding the aspect examined. However, experience from the practical application of MMs is scarcely described. Within this article two projects in which MMs were used in collaboration with practitioner groups from hospital environments are presented. The general project intentions, motivation for incorporating MMs and generated results are described. By deriving observations across the two cases, general tensions between healthcare practice and research concerning maturity modelling are identified. Additionally, the suitability of existing MMs to support especially hospitals in coping with the challenges of the digital transformation is discussed. This study's findings may be incorporated into development and refinement of MMs and may thus contribute to increasing practical value created by such means.