Impact of Digi-physical Healthcare

Sammanfattning: In the early days of digitalisation of Swedish healthcare, eDoctors, such as Kry, operated in parallel with traditional primary care. With the rising popularity and benefits of digital services, traditional healthcare is looking into digitalisation options. Digi-physical healthcare, the integration between digital and traditional physical care, is suggested as a potential future for Swedish healthcare. However, the impact of digi-physical healthcare is fairly unknown, and there is no performance evaluation process in place to facilitate necessary analyses. Therefore, this thesis develops, and uses, an evaluation framework to study the impact of digi-physical healthcare on quality, efficiency, and patient and healthcare provider satisfaction. The study uses a mixed methodology: a qualitative approach is used for a descriptive study as well as for an exploratory study, while a quantitative approach is used for a case study. The exploratory study consists of a literature study as well as an interview study and develops the evaluation framework. In the case study, the framework as well as primary care centre and survey data, is used to evaluate the impact of digi-physical healthcare at three primary care centres. The exploratory study suggests using availability, triage, continuity, use of resources, productivity, work environment, medical quality and patient experience as quality, efficiency and satisfaction performance indicators of digi-physical care. The case study finds that satisfaction is positively impacted by digi-physical care, while the impact on quality and efficiency is uncertain. Ways of working seem to influence what impact centres realise from digi-physical care and needs to be further studied. The thesis finds no impact on profits from digi-physical care, yet findings imply that they are to expect in the future. Determine successful ways of working and realising business value would decrease the distance between digital and physical healthcare, which potentially could improve Swedish healthcare in general.