Illustrating What Alignment Dimensions Must be Addressed to Advance Person-centred Healthcare

Paper in proceeding, 2015

If development can not bring healthcare into line with information systems, information pathologies will continue rendering a gap between adding value to healthcare and leaving a negative reality of team tasks, care processes, distribution of power, responsibility and knowledge. Thus, risking scarce resources to be over-spent on ineffective health systems. In particular, when stakeholder views on new information technologies vary from ideal to no view at all development, whether for a single unit, a region or a nation, might cause conflict in the cross-sector of healthcare and IT. That is a challenge for healthcare management. The aim of this study was therefore to contribute to the creation of public value by investigating what frame of reference is needed for management to address critical issues of person-centred healthcare. We thus, inquired what alignment dimensions must be addressed to advance person-centred healthcare? A qualitative approach was chosen as it provided opportunity to explore the situation. The theoretical frame was based on a literature study covering person-centred healthcare and alignment dimensions. Primary data were collected through four interviews in Swedish healthcare. Secondary data were used to strengthen the primary data. The first report was a study, based on a process analysis of healthcare and home care in Sweden. The second report by the national centre for e-health presents objectives for the period 2013-2018 on the subject of citizen’s future means for participating and engaging in his/her healthcare. Data were analysed according to the theoretical frame and summarized in table form. Result illustrate that alignment is not just fit between IT and business. Moreover, alignment is a non-stop activity of value creation through synchronization of the enterprise and IS/IT. For the wider good of healthcare, we argue for alignment in terms of grouping of persons, their parties and powers. To cover their issues, infological and sociocultural dimensions must be effectively brought into account by healthcare management.