Optimization of and the Use of IT for Healthcare Processes
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ItemTowards a Unified Understanding of Data-Driven Support for Emergency Medical Service Logistics( 2020-01-07)Time-critical medical emergencies challenge emergency medical service (EMS) systems worldwide every day. In order to respond to these incidents as soon as possible, EMS logistics' approaches can help locating and dispatching ambulances. Many of these approaches use estimates for the demand as well as the driving, service and turnaround times. In order to determine useful solutions and make informed decisions, reliable forecasts are necessary that take the characteristics and constraints of the planning problems at different levels into account. While many different approaches have been presented and tested in literature, a common understanding is still missing. This paper therefore proposes a taxonomy on EMS forecasting that distinguishes between medical emergencies and patient transports, demand and time intervals in the response process, as well as the three planning levels strategic, tactical and operational. In addition, an illustrative example and a research agenda are presented based on the findings for the taxonomy.
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ItemInvestigating Analytics Dashboards’ Support for the Value-based Healthcare Delivery Model( 2020-01-07)Improving the value of care is one of the essential aspects of Value-Based Healthcare (VBHC) model today. VBHC is a new HC delivery model which is centered on patient health outcomes and improvements. There is anecdotal evidence that the use of decision aid tools like dashboards can play a significant role in the successful implementation of VBHC models. However, there has been little or no systematic studies and reviews to establish the extent to which analytics dashboards are used to support patient care in a VBHC delivery context. This paper bridges this knowledge gap through a systematic review of the existing literature on dashboards in the HC domain. Our study reveals dashboard capabilities as an enabling tool for value improvements and provides insight into the design of dashboards. This study concludes by highlighting a few gaps, question, and need for research in the future.
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ItemConstituting Factors of a Digitally Influenced Relationship between Patients and Primary Care Physicians in Rural Areas( 2020-01-07)In times of an ageing society and a rural exodus of primary care physicians, healthcare systems are facing major challenges. To maintain comprehensive care and an equitable access to healthcare services, today’s technological advancements represent a promising measure. Technologies empower patients by providing innovative tools such as sensors and applications for self-measurement, leading to self-initiated interventions, while supporting physicians in handling rising demands through telemedicine and spatially detached solutions. These enhanced treatments come with patient and physician-sided challenges such as incorrect digital information provided to the patient, negatively affecting treatment quality and leading to high issue resolving efforts. In order to investigate the perspectives of rural physicians on treatment digitalization and effects of patient empowerment, we conducted a qualitative study using semi-structured interviews. Our findings show that patient activation, impacts on treatment process, patient differentiation, and patient-physician-interaction are relevant factors in the physicians’ valuation and willingness to use health technologies.
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ItemMaternal Healthcare Service Transformation: Exploring Opportunities for IT Use in Task Shifting( 2020-01-07)The transformation of healthcare services is expected to reduce health inequalities and to accelerate gains in health outcomes. Task shifting is one of the strategies adopted in healthcare transformation to make efficient use of human resources. However, limited research exists on how tasks are shifted beyond midwives, to involve community health workers or village health team members (VHTs) and pregnant women, and how IT supports and or triggers execution of shifted tasks. We examine the shifting of tasks in maternal healthcare, by interviewing midwives and VHTs in three districts in Uganda. Findings show four categories of tasks shifted at various levels of healthcare but with limited use of IT to execute tasks. We propose a model depicting opportunities for IT use both as an enabler and a trigger in executing tasks shifted. We recommend further investigations to identify IT opportunities that would trigger service exchange for pregnant women beyond health workers to include families and friends.
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