Process mining applications in healthcare: a systematic literature review

Process mining applications in healthcare is a field widely investigated in the last years. Its diffusion is driven by increasing digitalization and the availability of large quantities of clinical data, enabling hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare organizations to optimize workflows, reduce operational costs, and improve asset management. The importance of process mining lies in its potential to identify inefficiencies in processes, standardize clinical practices, support evidence-based decisions and, in general, improve the quality of care provided. The article aims to systematically review the research landscape in the field of process mining in healthcare, providing an in-depth understanding of how process mining is applied in healthcare. It contributes to the existing literature by highlighting the following aspects: the specific research topics covered (i), the extent of use of various process mining algorithms in different healthcare applications, showing their adaptability and effectiveness in specific contexts (ii), and, finally, the types and characteristics of data employed in these studies, highlighting the needs and challenges related to data in healthcare process mining (iii). Through this systematic literature review, the article can support researchers in identifying the most valuable research topic to be explored by the scientific community working on process mining in healthcare. To achieve this goal, several articles focusing on the algorithms and data employed were selected and analyzed. The final discussion highlights current research gaps, suggesting future areas of investigation, and identifies critical issues and vulnerabilities of existing process mining applications in healthcare.