digital healthcare thesis

Rethinking digital transformation of healthcare: The role of technology and institutions in service innovation: Dissertation

Research output : Thesis › Dissertation › Collection of Articles

• digitalization
• service innovation
• innovation challenges
• institutionalisation
• healthcare renewal

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• Theses Social Sciences 100%

T1 - Rethinking digital transformation of healthcare

T2 - The role of technology and institutions in service innovation: Dissertation

AU - Wallin, Arto

N2 - Due to the mounting prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing demand for expensive treatments and the growing old-age dependency ratio, there is a pressing need to augment the productivity and quality of health and elderly care. Although the potential of digital technologies is widely acknowledged, focusing on technological innovations and incremental improvements originatingfrom the healthcare system does not appear to provide the desired results. Therefore, there is a need for innovation that breaks established rules and practices and enables systemic transformation in healthcare.This article-based doctoral thesis builds on four published studies employing abductive case research strategy: a dialogue between theory and empirical analysis. The first two studies were conducted under the framework of European innovation programmes. They explore how digitallyenhanced services improve service productivity in the elderly care setting, and provide insights intoinnovation challenges experienced during a three-year collaborative innovation project. The latter two studies focus on start-ups operating under a start-up business accelerator programme. They increase understanding of the institutional constraints experienced by entrepreneurs when developing innovations that diverge from the prevailing rules of healthcare, and of the ways in which they attempt to change the rules hindering the adoption of innovations.The thesis contributes to service research by constructing a more profound understanding of the mechanisms that advance, hinder, enable and constrain service innovation in the field of healthcare. In particular, the thesis contributes to integrating the perspective of institutional entrepreneurship in service innovation, highlighting the importance of actions that contribute tobreaking prevailing 'rules of the game' (i.e. institutions) and creating new ones. In addition, the thesis depicts how digitalization reveals the pervasive role of technology in innovation. Jointly, these contributions advance the synthesis view on service innovation – a view that highlights the importance of both technological and service aspects in innovation.The policy and managerial implications of the thesis suggest that, in addition to a complex set of institutions that guide innovation in the field of healthcare, the development context may also have a notable impact on innovation. The institutional structures of collaborative innovation programmes should encourage collaboration outside project boundaries, in order to foster theactors' awareness of the institutional and market environment. Exposing innovation to institutional forces makes it easier to comprehend the necessary institutional change and to develop ways of justifying the change to actors that are vital for its support. The institutional perspective should be more tightly linked to the practice of innovation.

AB - Due to the mounting prevalence of chronic diseases, increasing demand for expensive treatments and the growing old-age dependency ratio, there is a pressing need to augment the productivity and quality of health and elderly care. Although the potential of digital technologies is widely acknowledged, focusing on technological innovations and incremental improvements originatingfrom the healthcare system does not appear to provide the desired results. Therefore, there is a need for innovation that breaks established rules and practices and enables systemic transformation in healthcare.This article-based doctoral thesis builds on four published studies employing abductive case research strategy: a dialogue between theory and empirical analysis. The first two studies were conducted under the framework of European innovation programmes. They explore how digitallyenhanced services improve service productivity in the elderly care setting, and provide insights intoinnovation challenges experienced during a three-year collaborative innovation project. The latter two studies focus on start-ups operating under a start-up business accelerator programme. They increase understanding of the institutional constraints experienced by entrepreneurs when developing innovations that diverge from the prevailing rules of healthcare, and of the ways in which they attempt to change the rules hindering the adoption of innovations.The thesis contributes to service research by constructing a more profound understanding of the mechanisms that advance, hinder, enable and constrain service innovation in the field of healthcare. In particular, the thesis contributes to integrating the perspective of institutional entrepreneurship in service innovation, highlighting the importance of actions that contribute tobreaking prevailing 'rules of the game' (i.e. institutions) and creating new ones. In addition, the thesis depicts how digitalization reveals the pervasive role of technology in innovation. Jointly, these contributions advance the synthesis view on service innovation – a view that highlights the importance of both technological and service aspects in innovation.The policy and managerial implications of the thesis suggest that, in addition to a complex set of institutions that guide innovation in the field of healthcare, the development context may also have a notable impact on innovation. The institutional structures of collaborative innovation programmes should encourage collaboration outside project boundaries, in order to foster theactors' awareness of the institutional and market environment. Exposing innovation to institutional forces makes it easier to comprehend the necessary institutional change and to develop ways of justifying the change to actors that are vital for its support. The institutional perspective should be more tightly linked to the practice of innovation.

KW - digitalization

KW - service innovation

KW - innovation challenges

KW - institutionalisation

KW - healthcare renewal

M3 - Dissertation

SN - 978-952-60-8019-2

SN - 978-951-38-8638-7

T3 - VTT Science

PB - Aalto University

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

• First Online: 25 October 2018

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• Luís Velez Lapão 3  

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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.

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Lapão, L.V. (2019). The Future of Healthcare: The Impact of Digitalization on Healthcare Services Performance. In: Pereira Neto, A., Flynn, M. (eds) The Internet and Health in Brazil . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-99289-1_22

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Digital Health And Improvement Of Healthcare Access

Digital Health technologies have revolutionized healthcare delivery, offering innovative solutions that enhance access, improve patient outcomes, and optimize the use of resources. Despite this advancement, health outcomes remain disparate across different social groups, with underprivileged populations at an increased risk of poor health outcomes due to inadequate access to care. Digital Health technologies serve as a critical intervention in mitigating these disparities, particularly for groups affected by geographical, economic, and infrastructural barriers. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of the current state of Digital Health technologies, including Software as a Medical Device (SaMD), Wearable Health, Portable Diagnostic Devices, and remote care platforms, and their impact on healthcare accessibility. Employing qualitative methodology, this metasynthesis emphasized an important discovery: the need for a paradigm shift among stakeholders in healthcare towards integrated and digitally-driven patient care. This shift requires more than just an understanding of new technologies. It demands a fundamental re-evaluation of patient care methods and the orchestration of the entire healthcare system towards integrated digital practices. Importantly, this study found that the pace of digitalization must be carefully managed and cultural factors must be considered and signals the urgency for a balanced approach to digital integration in healthcare.

Degree Type

• Doctor of Technology
• Technology Leadership and Innovation

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• West Lafayette

Advisor/Supervisor/Committee Chair

Additional committee member 2, additional committee member 3, additional committee member 4, usage metrics.

• Digital health
• Health informatics and information systems
• Rural and remote health services
• Information systems user experience design and development
• Decision support and group support systems
• Digital electronic devices
• Preventative health care
• Social determinants of health
• Health equity
• Applications in health

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Home > Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences > Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses > 853

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Culture matching and its impact on the therapeutic relationship: a literature review.

Taylor Marsyla Follow

Date of Award

Spring 5-5-2024

Document Type

Degree name.

MCM - MA Clinical Mental Health Counseling

Expressive Therapies

Basel Zayed

As cultural competency and cultural humility move to the forefront of therapeutic treatment so does a need for understanding the effects of culture on the therapeutic relationship. Often individuals who belong to minority groups are less likely to seek mental health care and more commonly receive subpar treatment. This project attempts to examine the effects of matching patients and therapists based on a shared identity and/or culture as a form of culturally responsive treatment – also known as culture matching. In this literature review, the selected peer reviewed articles considered the perspectives of both therapists and patients. Research was divided into cultural groups. Results demonstrated patients generally prefer being paired with therapists who share an identity or cultural background. Treatment outcomes were varied. Some research indicated that shared culture or identity resulted in positive health outcomes while other research attributed positive health outcomes to the individual therapist’s skill, values, and multicultural competency. Results also varied for each cultural group, further indicating a need for cultural humility. Ultimately, more research is needed to understand culture matching, particularly in populations with fewer members of that culture working as mental health professionals.

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Marsyla, Taylor, "Culture Matching and its Impact on the Therapeutic Relationship: A Literature Review" (2024). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses . 853. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/853

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