The Future of Healthcare: The Impact of Digitalization on Healthcare Services Performance

Healthcare systems are facing many challenges, from demographics to multi-morbidities that are associated with increasing the demand for more services. New technologies are thought to be a solution to these problems. However, to address these problems with digitalization of healthcare will imply the combination of properly using technologies, aligned with integrated working processes and skilled professionals. The first section of this chapter highlights the challenges associated with the digitalization of healthcare, the next the implementation of digital services, considering a method to design online service, and then the impact of digitalization on healthcare workforce performance. Finally, the discussion examines the challenges of digitalization for the future. Proper digitalization of healthcare will enable changes in the paradigm of healthcare delivery as well as in the mechanism for patients’ participation and engagement. The sustainability of healthcare will depend on how efficient we will make digital service design.

[1]  D. Teece Business Models, Business Strategy and Innovation , 2010 .

[2]  Steven J Katz,et al.  The emerging role of online communication between patients and their providers , 2004, Journal of General Internal Medicine.

[3]  Gary L. Kreps,et al.  eHealth communication and behavior change: promise and performance , 2010 .

[4]  Vimla L. Patel,et al.  Usability in the real world: assessing medical information technologies in patients' homes , 2003, J. Biomed. Informatics.

[5]  M. Rouse,et al.  Scope of contemporary pharmacy practice: roles, responsibilities, and functions of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. , 2010, Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhA.

[6]  Boon Peng Lim,et al.  The evolving role of the community pharmacist in chronic disease management - a literature review. , 2010, Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore.

[7]  Jing Zhang,et al.  mHealth Interventions for Health System Strengthening in China: A Systematic Review , 2017, JMIR mHealth and uHealth.

[8]  Luís Velez Lapão Digitalization of Healthcare: Where Is the Evidence of the Impact on Healthcare Workforce' Performance? , 2018, MIE.

[9]  Luís Velez Lapão,et al.  How to best manage time interaction with patients? Community pharmacist workload and service provision analysis , 2017, Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP.

[10]  Karin A. Thursky,et al.  User-centered design techniques for a computerised antibiotic decision support system in an intensive care unit , 2007, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[11]  Derek Yach,et al.  Technological and social innovation: a unifying new paradigm for global health. , 2007, Health affairs.

[12]  Ivo Abraham,et al.  Economic effects of pharmacists on health outcomes in the United States: A systematic review. , 2010, American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

[13]  D. Christensen,et al.  The asheville project: long-term clinical and economic outcomes of a community pharmacy diabetes care program. , 2003, Journal of the American Pharmaceutical Association.

[14]  Luís Velez Lapão,et al.  The Future Impact of Healthcare Services Digitalization on Health Workforce: The Increasing Role of Medical Informatics , 2016, MIE.

[15]  Thomas Bodenheimer,et al.  Improving primary care for patients with chronic illness: the chronic care model, Part 2. , 2002, JAMA.

[16]  João Gregório,et al.  A scenario-planning approach to human resources for health: the case of community pharmacists in Portugal , 2014, Human Resources for Health.

[17]  E. Wagner,et al.  Chronic Illness Management: What Is the Role of Primary Care? , 2003, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[18]  James C. Robinson,et al.  External incentives, information technology, and organized processes to improve health care quality for patients with chronic diseases. , 2003, JAMA.

[19]  Gary L. Kreps,et al.  New directions in eHealth communication: opportunities and challenges. , 2010, Patient education and counseling.

[20]  Alan R. Hevner,et al.  Design Science in Information Systems Research , 2004, MIS Q..

[21]  Andrew P. McAfee,et al.  Machine, Platform, Crowd: Harnessing Our Digital Future , 2017 .

[22]  Fernando Fernandez-Llimos,et al.  Defining professional pharmacy services in community pharmacy. , 2013, Research in social & administrative pharmacy : RSAP.

[23]  Samir Chatterjee,et al.  A Design Science Research Methodology for Information Systems Research , 2008 .

[24]  Peter Piot,et al.  Innovation and technology for global public health , 2012, Global public health.

[25]  David K Ahern,et al.  Challenges and opportunities of eHealth research. , 2007, American journal of preventive medicine.

[26]  Justin Waring,et al.  The possibilities of technology in shaping healthcare professionals: (re/de-)professionalisation of pharmacists in England. , 2012, Social science & medicine.

[27]  G. Eysenbach What is e-health? , 2001, Journal of Medical Internet Research.

[28]  Luís Velez Lapão,et al.  Implementing an online pharmaceutical service using design science research , 2017, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.

[29]  Charles R Doarn,et al.  National telemedicine initiatives: essential to healthcare reform. , 2009, Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association.

[30]  W. Currie,et al.  E-Health in Europe: Current situation and challenges ahead , 2016 .

[31]  J. Powell,et al.  Preliminary test of an Internet-based diabetes self-management tool , 2008, Journal of telemedicine and telecare.

[32]  K. Kuhn,et al.  Expanding the Scope of Health Information Systems , 2007, Methods of Information in Medicine.

[33]  Manolis Tsiknakis,et al.  Organizational factors affecting successful adoption of innovative eHealth services: A case study employing the FITT framework , 2009, Int. J. Medical Informatics.

[34]  Alexander Johannes Aloysius Maria van Deursen,et al.  Internet skills performance tests: are people ready for eHealth? , 2011 .

[35]  C. Anandan,et al.  The Impact of eHealth on the Quality and Safety of Health Care: A Systematic Overview , 2011, PLoS medicine.

[36]  D. Jorgenson Information Technology and the U.S. Economy , 2001 .

[37]  D. Bates,et al.  Improving safety with information technology. , 2003, The New England journal of medicine.

[38]  Luís Velez Lapão,et al.  How can information systems provide support to nurses’ hand hygiene performance? Using gamification and indoor location to improve hand hygiene awareness and reduce hospital infections , 2017, BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making.

[39]  Nancy Winslade,et al.  Pharmacist provision of primary health care: a modified Delphi validation of pharmacists' competencies , 2012, BMC Family Practice.

[40]  T. Loney,et al.  The primary health care in the emirate of Abu Dhabi: are they aligned with the chronic care model elements? , 2017, BMC Health Services Research.

[41]  Theresa J. Schindel,et al.  Collaboration between pharmacists, physicians and nurse practitioners: A qualitative investigation of working relationships in the inpatient medical setting , 2009, Journal of interprofessional care.