Governance guidelines for digital healthcare ecosystems

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Digital Health Ecosystems
• Integrated Care Technologies

Background:

• Modern integrated care relies heavily on advanced Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
• Existing ICT solutions aim to transcend traditional healthcare boundaries, ensuring timely and appropriate medical interventions, particularly for complex comorbidity cases.
• Open digital ecosystems, powered by eHealth platforms, are essential for a thriving eHealth environment, though their creation presents significant challenges.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the scientific inquiry into the conditions required for achieving open eHealth systems.
• To contribute practical insights for the implementation of eHealth platforms within complex projects.
• To develop generic guidelines for future eHealth ecosystem initiatives.

Main Methods:

• Action Design Research process was employed.
• Reflection on work conducted within an EU-funded infrastructure project.
• Development of 13 implementation guidelines for eHealth platforms.

Main Results:

• The study generated 13 actionable guidelines for eHealth platform implementation.
• Insights were derived from a real-world EU-funded infrastructure project.
• The research provides a foundation for generic eHealth ecosystem guidelines.

Conclusions:

• Implementing eHealth platforms requires careful consideration of open system conditions.
• The developed guidelines can inform future research and practice in eHealth ecosystem development.
• Successful eHealth ecosystems necessitate a move beyond technological and institutional boundaries.