IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/tefoso/v209y2024ics0040162524005791.html

Digital transformation in healthcare: Assessing the role of digital technologies for managerial support processes

Author

Listed:
  • Mauro, Marianna
  • Noto, Guido
  • Prenestini, Anna
  • Sarto, Fabrizia

Abstract

This study used Porter's value chain model within healthcare organizations and the technology–organization–environment framework to explore the impact of digital technologies on managerial and administrative support processes and identify the determinants of their adoption. We used the Delphi methodology to examine six categories of digital technologies (Internet of Things, artificial intelligence & machine learning, big data & business analytics, cloud storage & computing, social media, and blockchain). The study used an inductive qualitative approach involving 11 experts to gather opinions on the most impactful digital technologies and the factors that hinder or limit digital transformation. We found that the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence & machine learning have the most significant impact on administrative support processes in healthcare organizations. Blockchain was least relevant. The experts identified the skills and competencies of employees as the most crucial determinants for ensuring successful digital transformation. These results contribute to the literature on digital transformation in healthcare, which has previously mainly focused on the impact of technologies on clinical processes. The findings may also be useful to both policymakers and practitioners in determining priorities for investment in digital technologies and delivering successful implementation.

Suggested Citation

  • Mauro, Marianna & Noto, Guido & Prenestini, Anna & Sarto, Fabrizia, 2024. "Digital transformation in healthcare: Assessing the role of digital technologies for managerial support processes," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 209(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:209:y:2024:i:c:s0040162524005791
    DOI: 10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123781
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162524005791
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123781?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Guido Noto & Lucrezia Coletta & Milena Vainieri, 2022. "Measuring the performance of collaborative governance in food safety management: an Italian case study," Public Money & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(8), pages 627-636, November.
    2. Laubengaier, Désirée A. & Cagliano, Raffaella & Canterino, Filomena, 2022. "It Takes Two to Tango: Analyzing the Relationship between Technological and Administrative Process Innovations in Industry 4.0," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 180(C).
    3. Dal Mas, Francesca & Massaro, Maurizio & Rippa, Pierluigi & Secundo, Giustina, 2023. "The challenges of digital transformation in healthcare: An interdisciplinary literature review, framework, and future research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    4. Agha, Leila, 2014. "The effects of health information technology on the costs and quality of medical care," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 19-30.
    5. Kaartemo, Valtteri & Nyström, Anna-Greta, 2021. "Emerging technology as a platform for market shaping and innovation," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 458-468.
    6. Tortorella, Guilherme Luz & Fogliatto, Flavio S. & Kurnia, Sherah & Thürer, Matthias & Capurro, Daniel, 2022. "Healthcare 4.0 digital applications: An empirical study on measures, bundles and patient-centered performance," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    7. Kraus, Sascha & Schiavone, Francesco & Pluzhnikova, Anna & Invernizzi, Anna Chiara, 2021. "Digital transformation in healthcare: Analyzing the current state-of-research," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 123(C), pages 557-567.
    8. M. M. Malik & S. Abdallah & M. Ala’raj, 2018. "Data mining and predictive analytics applications for the delivery of healthcare services: a systematic literature review," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 270(1), pages 287-312, November.
    9. Ancillai, Chiara & Sabatini, Andrea & Gatti, Marco & Perna, Andrea, 2023. "Digital technology and business model innovation: A systematic literature review and future research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    10. Yang, Miying & Fu, Mingtao & Zhang, Zihan, 2021. "The adoption of digital technologies in supply chains: Drivers, process and impact," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    11. Behkami, Nima A. & U. Daim, Tugrul, 2012. "Research Forecasting for Health Information Technology (HIT), using technology intelligence," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 79(3), pages 498-508.
    12. Hess, Thomas & Matt, Christian & Benlian, Alexander & Wiesböck, Florian, 2016. "Options for Formulating a Digital Transformation Strategy," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 81032, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    13. Matt, C. & Hess, Thomas & Benlian, Alexander, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 75002, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    14. Ali, Omar & Shrestha, Anup & Soar, Jeffrey & Wamba, Samuel Fosso, 2018. "Cloud computing-enabled healthcare opportunities, issues, and applications: A systematic review," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 146-158.
    15. Beaulieu, Martin & Bentahar, Omar, 2021. "Digitalization of the healthcare supply chain: A roadmap to generate benefits and effectively support healthcare delivery," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    16. Trevor Clohessy & Thomas Acton & Lorraine Morgan, 2017. "The Impact of Cloud-Based Digital Transformation on IT Service Providers: Evidence From Focus Groups," International Journal of Cloud Applications and Computing (IJCAC), IGI Global Scientific Publishing, vol. 7(4), pages 1-19, October.
    17. Aboelmaged, Mohamed Gamal, 2014. "Predicting e-readiness at firm-level: An analysis of technological, organizational and environmental (TOE) effects on e-maintenance readiness in manufacturing firms," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 34(5), pages 639-651.
    18. Ritu Agarwal & Guodong (Gordon) Gao & Catherine DesRoches & Ashish K. Jha, 2010. "Research Commentary ---The Digital Transformation of Healthcare: Current Status and the Road Ahead," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 21(4), pages 796-809, December.
    19. Massaro, Maurizio, 2023. "Digital transformation in the healthcare sector through blockchain technology. Insights from academic research and business developments," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 120(C).
    20. Chang, Shuchih Ernest & Chen, Yi-Chian & Lu, Ming-Fang, 2019. "Supply chain re-engineering using blockchain technology: A case of smart contract based tracking process," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 1-11.
    21. Michael Sony & Jiju Antony & Guilherme L. Tortorella, 2023. "Critical Success Factors for Successful Implementation of Healthcare 4.0: A Literature Review and Future Research Agenda," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-22, March.
    22. Secundo, Giustina & Riad Shams, S.M. & Nucci, Francesco, 2021. "Digital technologies and collective intelligence for healthcare ecosystem: Optimizing Internet of Things adoption for pandemic management," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 131(C), pages 563-572.
    23. Winkler, Jens & Moser, Roger, 2016. "Biases in future-oriented Delphi studies: A cognitive perspective," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 63-76.
    24. Matt, C. & Hess, Thomas & Benlian, Alexander, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 75202, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    25. Fattore, Giovanni, 1999. "Clarifying the scope of Italian NHS coverage. Is it feasible? Is it desirable?," Health Policy, Elsevier, vol. 50(1-2), pages 123-142, December.
    26. Moons, Karen & Waeyenbergh, Geert & Pintelon, Liliane, 2019. "Measuring the logistics performance of internal hospital supply chains – A literature study," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 205-217.
    27. Sascha Kraus & Paul Jones & Norbert Kailer & Alexandra Weinmann & Nuria Chaparro-Banegas & Norat Roig-Tierno, 2021. "Digital Transformation: An Overview of the Current State of the Art of Research," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(3), pages 21582440211, September.
    28. Lehoux, P. & Miller, F.A. & Daudelin, G., 2017. "Converting clinical risks into economic value: The role of expectations and institutions in health technology development," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 117(C), pages 206-216.
    29. Christian Matt & Thomas Hess & Alexander Benlian, 2015. "Digital Transformation Strategies," Business & Information Systems Engineering: The International Journal of WIRTSCHAFTSINFORMATIK, Springer;Gesellschaft für Informatik e.V. (GI), vol. 57(5), pages 339-343, October.
    30. Nkiruka D Eze & Céu Mateus & Tiago Cravo Oliveira Hashiguchi, 2020. "Telemedicine in the OECD: An umbrella review of clinical and cost-effectiveness, patient experience and implementation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(8), pages 1-24, August.
    31. Tortorella, Guilherme Luz & Fogliatto, Flavio S. & Cauchick-Miguel, Paulo A. & Kurnia, Sherah & Jurburg, Daniel, 2021. "Integration of Industry 4.0 technologies into Total Productive Maintenance practices," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 240(C).
    32. Florian Diener & Miroslav Špaček, 2021. "Digital Transformation in Banking: A Managerial Perspective on Barriers to Change," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-27, February.
    33. Leone, Daniele & Schiavone, Francesco & Appio, Francesco Paolo & Chiao, Benjamin, 2021. "How does artificial intelligence enable and enhance value co-creation in industrial markets? An exploratory case study in the healthcare ecosystem," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 849-859.
    34. Raimo, Nicola & De Turi, Ivano & Albergo, Francesco & Vitolla, Filippo, 2023. "The drivers of the digital transformation in the healthcare industry: An empirical analysis in Italian hospitals," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 121(C).
    35. Giulio Ferrigno & Nicola Del Sarto & Andrea Piccaluga & Alessandro Baroncelli, 2023. "Industry 4.0 base technologies and business models: a bibliometric analysis," European Journal of Innovation Management, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 26(7), pages 502-526, August.
    36. Tortorella, Guilherme Luz & Fogliatto, Flávio Sanson & Espôsto, Kleber Francisco & Vergara, Alejandro Mac Cawley & Vassolo, Roberto & Mendoza, Diego Tlapa & Narayanamurthy, Gopalakrishnan, 2020. "Effects of contingencies on healthcare 4.0 technologies adoption and barriers in emerging economies," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    37. J. Piet Hausberg & Kirsten Liere-Netheler & Sven Packmohr & Stefanie Pakura & Kristin Vogelsang, 2019. "Research streams on digital transformation from a holistic business perspective: a systematic literature review and citation network analysis," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 89(8), pages 931-963, December.
    38. Martin Beaulieu & Omar Bentahar, 2021. "Digitalization of the healthcare supply chain: A roadmap to generate benefits and effectively support healthcare delivery," Post-Print hal-03208957, HAL.
    39. Berbel-Vera, Jose & Barrachina Palanca, Mercedes & Gonzalez-Sanchez, Maria Beatriz, 2022. "Key CDO functions for successful digital transformation: Insights from a Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    40. Batley, Richard & Mcloughlin, Claire, 2015. "The Politics of Public Services: A Service Characteristics Approach," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 275-285.
    41. Stephanie, Lena & Sharma, Ravi S., 2020. "Digital health eco-systems: An epochal review of practice-oriented research," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    42. Li Da Xu & Eric L. Xu & Ling Li, 2018. "Industry 4.0: state of the art and future trends," International Journal of Production Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 56(8), pages 2941-2962, April.
    43. Hess, Thomas & Matt, Christian & Benlian, Alexander & Wiesböck, Florian, 2016. "Options for Formulating a Digital Transformation Strategy," Publications of Darmstadt Technical University, Institute for Business Studies (BWL) 82423, Darmstadt Technical University, Department of Business Administration, Economics and Law, Institute for Business Studies (BWL).
    44. Gandomi, Amir & Haider, Murtaza, 2015. "Beyond the hype: Big data concepts, methods, and analytics," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 137-144.
    45. Rezaei, Mojtaba & Jafari-Sadeghi, Vahid & Cao, Dongmei & Mahdiraji, Hannan Amoozad, 2021. "Key indicators of ethical challenges in digital healthcare: A combined Delphi exploration and confirmative factor analysis approach with evidence from Khorasan province in Iran," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 167(C).
    46. Tortorella, Guilherme L. & Fogliatto, Flavio S. & Saurin, Tarcísio A. & Tonetto, Leandro M. & McFarlane, Duncan, 2022. "Contributions of Healthcare 4.0 digital applications to the resilience of healthcare organizations during the COVID-19 outbreak," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Correia, Lucas Miguel Alencar de Morais & Frank, Alejandro G., 2025. "Structuring resources in healthcare digital transformation: a comparison across public, private and research hospitals," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    2. Isabella Urban & Ralf Plattfaut, 2026. "The Interplay of Digital Responsibility and Digital Transformation: Empirical Insights from a Nationwide Digital Transformation," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 28(1), pages 157-188, February.
    3. Olive, Mattia Vincenzo & Gastaldi, Luca & Appio, Francesco Paolo, 2026. "Relational coordination in medical work: The role of digital health practices," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    4. Ismail, Muhammad & Barth, Henrik & Holmén, Magnus & Petersson, Lena & Irgang, Luís, 2025. "Transforming towards AI-augmented Healthcare: Experiences of physicians in Sweden," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 148(C).
    5. Ibrahim Alkish & Kolawole Iyiola & Ahmad Bassam Alzubi & Hasan Yousef Aljuhmani, 2025. "Does Digitization Lead to Sustainable Economic Behavior? Investigating the Roles of Employee Well-Being and Learning Orientation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-29, May.
    6. Gaganpreet Singh Hundal & Donna Rhodes & Chad Laux, 2025. "Digital Transformation of Healthcare Enterprises in the Era of Disruptions—A Structured Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-18, June.
    7. Peron, Mirco & Saporiti, Nicolò & Coruzzolo, Antonio Maria & Lolli, Francesco & Holmström, Jan, 2025. "The impact of Additive Manufacturing on supply chain resilience: a Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 219(C).
    8. van Voorst, Roanne, 2025. "“What do you mean, we use intuition?” The productive silence of diagnostic intuition: Examining the impact of the "absent present" in healthcare," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 384(C).
    9. Vinci, Alessandro & Vandelli, Andrea & Caputo, Alessia & Vainieri, Milena, 2025. "Supporting the digital transformation journey through monitoring systems in healthcare. A comparative analysis of European empirical approaches through an adaptation of the IPOO framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    10. Yu, Donglei & Wang, Dianyi & Huang, Xiaohuai, 2025. "Digital economy advancement and enterprise productivity transformation: Empirical evidence from Chinese healthcare listed companies," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 86(PB).
    11. Govindarajan, Usharani Hareesh & Narang, Gagan & Singh, Dhiraj Kumar & Yadav, Vinay Surendra, 2025. "Blockchain technologies adoption in healthcare: Overcoming barriers amid the hype cycle to enhance patient care," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Guo, Bin & Zhang, Jiale & Tan, Ziyan, 2024. "Firm digitalization as strategic response: An integrated model based on the awareness-motivation-capability (AMC) framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    2. Correia, Lucas Miguel Alencar de Morais & Frank, Alejandro G., 2025. "Structuring resources in healthcare digital transformation: a comparison across public, private and research hospitals," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 147(C).
    3. Basile, L.J. & Carbonara, N. & Panniello, U. & Pellegrino, R., 2024. "The role of big data analytics in improving the quality of healthcare services in the Italian context: The mediating role of risk management," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Vinci, Alessandro & Vandelli, Andrea & Caputo, Alessia & Vainieri, Milena, 2025. "Supporting the digital transformation journey through monitoring systems in healthcare. A comparative analysis of European empirical approaches through an adaptation of the IPOO framework," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    5. Mishra, Deepa Bhatt & Haider, Imran & Gunasekaran, Angappa & Sakib, Md. Nazmus & Malik, Nishtha & Rana, Nripendra P., 2023. "“Better together”: Right blend of business strategy and digital transformation strategies," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    6. Evangelos Katsamakas, 2022. "Digital Transformation and Sustainable Business Models," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-5, May.
    7. Berbel-Vera, Jose & Barrachina Palanca, Mercedes & Gonzalez-Sanchez, Maria Beatriz, 2022. "Key CDO functions for successful digital transformation: Insights from a Delphi study," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 181(C).
    8. Li, Min & Liu, Na & Kou, Aiju & Chen, Wenchuan, 2023. "Customer concentration and digital transformation," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    9. Abdul Karim Feroz & Hangjung Zo & Ananth Chiravuri, 2021. "Digital Transformation and Environmental Sustainability: A Review and Research Agenda," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-20, February.
    10. Cheng, Weixuan & Li, Cheng & Zhao, Tianjiao, 2024. "The stages of enterprise digital transformation and its impact on internal control: Evidence from China," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    11. Robert Fabac, 2022. "Digital Balanced Scorecard System as a Supporting Strategy for Digital Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-26, August.
    12. Tiwari, Manisha & Bryde, David J. & Stavropoulou, Foteini & Dubey, Rameshwar & Kumari, Sushma & Foropon, Cyril, 2024. "Modelling supply chain Visibility, digital Technologies, environmental dynamism and healthcare supply chain Resilience: An organisation information processing theory perspective," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 188(C).
    13. Gong, Cheng & Ribiere, Vincent, 2021. "Developing a unified definition of digital transformation," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 102(C).
    14. Blanka, Christine & Krumay, Barbara & Rueckel, David, 2022. "The interplay of digital transformation and employee competency: A design science approach," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    15. Xing, Yunfei & Zhang, Justin Zuopeng & Wang, Xiwei, 2026. "Digital innovation and transformation process in business growth: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    16. Chun-Liang Chen & Yao-Chin Lin & Wei-Hung Chen & Cheng-Fu Chao & Henry Pandia, 2021. "Role of Government to Enhance Digital Transformation in Small Service Business," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-24, January.
    17. Wang, Yu & Huang, Cui & Ye, Xuanting & Zhang, Jian, 2025. "Linkage and coordination: Industrial digital transformation from the perspective of innovation ecosystem," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    18. Tijan, Edvard & Jović, Marija & Aksentijević, Saša & Pucihar, Andreja, 2021. "Digital transformation in the maritime transport sector," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 170(C).
    19. Satı, Zümrüt Ecevit, 2024. "Comparison of the criteria affecting the digital innovation performance of the European Union (EU) member and candidate countries with the entropy weight-TOPSIS method and investigation of its importance for SMEs," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    20. Alexander Bohnert & Albrecht Fritzsche & Shirley Gregor, 2019. "Digital agendas in the insurance industry: the importance of comprehensive approaches†," The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance - Issues and Practice, Palgrave Macmillan;The Geneva Association, vol. 44(1), pages 1-19, January.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:tefoso:v:209:y:2024:i:c:s0040162524005791. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/00401625 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.