Stakeholder Perspectives on Digital Twin Implementation Challenges in Healthcare: Insights from a Provider Digital Twin Case Study

Digital twin (DT) technology holds immense potential for transforming healthcare systems through real-time monitoring, predictive analysis, and agile interventions to support various decision-making needs. However, its successful implementation is contingent upon addressing an array of complex socio-technical challenges. Using a case study of provider workload DT, this research investigates DT implementation challenges in healthcare based on the perspectives of four stakeholder groups: family medicine specialists (FMSs), organizational psychologists (OPs), engineers (EEs), and implementation scientists (ISs). We conducted semi-structured interviews with these diverse stakeholder groups guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) 2.0, an implementation science framework widely used for understanding factors influencing implementation outcomes. We then mapped each stakeholder groups’ preferences and concerns across five CFIR 2.0 domains, revealing a nuanced landscape of converging and diverging perspectives that highlight both shared and group-specific implementation barriers. Our findings reveal convergence on core concerns such as data privacy & security, interoperability, and regulatory compliance, highlighting shared priorities. However, divergences also emerged, reflecting each group’s functional focus. For instance, while EEs emphasize technical issues like usability and scalability, FMSs prioritize practical challenges, including workload impact, staffing shortages, and resistance to change. OPs highlight collaboration, communication, and organizational alignment; while ISs concentrate on ethical issues and technology readiness. These findings emphasize the need for a multidisciplinary, stakeholder-sensitive approach that addresses both functional and practical concerns; highlighting the importance of tailored implementation strategies to facilitate successful DT adoption in healthcare.