Organizational Barriers to the Adoption of New Digital Technologies in Public Healthcare A Case of Citizen-initiated Remote Monitoring at Sahlgrenska University Hospital
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Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Management and economics of innovation (MPMEI), MSc
Publicerad
2023
Författare
Svennung, Gustaf
Munkevik, Olle
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
Swedish healthcare is facing a huge increase in demand for care due to demographic changes in the
nation. With the number of healthcare workers not increasing at the same pace, there is an imminent
issue that will keep getting worse over time. In order to help solve this problem, adoption of digital
technologies and more efficient ways of working are needed. However, in public healthcare, different
barriers exist which hinder the adoption of digital technologies in different ways. Significant additional
value could be attained if these barriers are identified and overcome.
The aim of this study is to identify organizational barriers to adoption of digital technologies in Public
Healthcare in Sweden, and provide recommendations to help overcome them. The research approach
used in this study is a qualitative study of a single case organization, Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
Academic literature was identified and analyzed, and empirical data was collected through semi-
structured interviews with employees at the case organization, as well as individuals from Region Västra
Götaland. The empirical data was then contrasted and analyzed in relation to the academic literature.
The findings show several organizational barriers that affect the organization. These barriers cover a
wide range of issues; the absence of a clear career path for innovation, limitations in value realization
regarding the Innovation Platform, short-term savings having precedence over long-term innovation
effects, insufficient information diffusion and collaboration, the dilemma of research evidence, complex
and unclear decision paths, and varying visions and priorities of managers. To be able to overcome the
barriers and foster a more innovative culture, improving the adoption of digital technologies, some
recommendations have been proposed. First, establishing a defined career path within the organization
for working with innovation could improve the innovation culture, by creating a more structured way of
working with innovation. Further, creating an environment for facilitating more collaboration between
healthcare workers and developers of new technologies and solutions is of importance. This would ensure
solutions meet the users’ needs and are more user-friendly, hence improving adoption and easing
implementation. Creating an innovation culture throughout the organization that mirrors the high
importance the top management has on innovation is of huge importance, in order to align the
organization. Establishing an innovation forum including information sharing, collaboration, joint
problem-solving, and examples of successful innovation projects could help facilitate this. Also, aligning
all levels of management on the importance of innovation in the organization is also crucial, since
department managers have a high influence on their operation, and hence how much focus is on
innovation.
By addressing the identified barriers and working within the organization to overcome them, the adoption
of new technologies and solutions has great potential to improve. This would improve responsiveness
within public healthcare, making it more susceptible toward new and improved technologies and
solutions, which would improve patient care and thereby increase societal value.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
telemedicine , remote monitoring , mHealth , health data , organizational barriers , public healthcare , digital technologies , adoption , implementation