Success factors in implementing an e­-health system in primary care

Sammanfattning: Healthcare organizations worldwide have struggled to implement e­health solutions, with projects frequently ending up delayed or above budget. Although it is generally assumed that digitalization has the potential to make healthcare more effective, the an­ ticipated improvements have not been as apparent in healthcare as in other industries. This thesis focuses on the pilot implementation of a privately developed e­health sys­ tem in a large public primary care organization in Sweden. The purpose of the thesis is to identify success factors concerning this implementation. The thesis employs a combination of deductive and inductive reasoning. Its theo­ retical foundation was derived from a literature review. A multiple case study was chosen as the research strategy, where each primary care unit represented a case. The case study included the collection and analysis of empirical data documented during and after the implementation, as well as interviews with five representatives of the company that had developed the e­health system who had extensively participated in the implementation. This thesis concluded that the key factors to success in this implementation could be roughly divided into three categories: (i) local engagement of the primary care unit; (ii) local knowledge at the primary care unit; and (iii) well­defined and easily evaluated project goals. Furthermore, the difficulties in defining a successful implementation are highlighted. In addition to the conclusion, a set of suggestions is presented which could aid evaluations of e­health implementations in the future.