A Classification of Healthcare Social Network Analysis Applications

As the web, social networks and the internet of things permeated our daily life; a new perspective for understanding the complexity of our interconnectedness has become necessary. One approach that has predominantly proven useful in discovering hidden relationships, connections and trends of complex systems through mathematical and graphical techniques is Social Network Analysis (SNA). This approach has become increasingly appeling for Healthcare in particular as many of this domain’s problems examine systems with dynamic actors that interact with each other and exhibit emergent complex behaviors. However, due to their multiplicity, the application of SNA methodologies proves to be a complex and confusing endeavor. In an attempt to support the effort of applying SNA methodologies on Healthcare research problems, this paper offers firstly a categorization of SNA methodologies (structural and dynamic analysis), then inventories Healthcare SNA applications and classifies them into organizational and e-health related problems. The resulting categorization helps identify the Healthcare research problems most auspicious for SNA methodologies and should thus provide a guiding material of adequate SNA methodologies for a given Healthcare research problem.

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