Patient-Centred Healthcare: Stakeholder Views of Cloud Computing on Information Sharing and Communication

Paper i proceeding, 2014

Today it is well recognized in many societies that healthcare demands will be greater than corresponding supplies. In Sweden, as in many other countries, there is a growing interest to find new strategies for balancing the ever-changing expectations for healthcare with available capacities, competencies and capabilities that can contribute to a desired healthcare. Society’s growing level of connectedness and grade of satisfaction with online applications and data storage outcomes is in high anticipation in regards to fast and easy information access. Patients need for better information sharing and communication in healthcare focus attention to the unbalance of required and available facilities and drives public demand for developing an effective healthcare system. In order to contribute to patient-centred healthcare the aim was to create better understanding of how professional healthcare stakeholders view the impact of cloud computing on information sharing and communication. Data was collected through a literature study and seven interviews with representatives from cloud computing suppliers, developers at national, regional and local level as well as medical staffs in Swedish healthcare. Discussing the views we found a split understanding among stakeholders. They were separated in different islands with no or very little communication and thus, with different goals and ambitions for healthcare. Thus, patient´s needs for respect, security and a fully responsible healthcare are not fulfilled. The wrong is not in the technique Rather, in order to reach shared understanding and a common goal for patient-centred healthcare medical staffs, patient and family need to be included in the development. In this sense, the situation is not good or bad and nobody is right or wrong. Rather, there are problems to be solved by healthcare developers who should balance patient needs for better information sharing and communication in healthcare and public demand for patient-centred healthcare with the cloud supplier capabilities.