Article
Community care network – how digitalization is transforming health care in rural regions
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Published: | April 30, 2018 |
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Outline
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Background and Purpose: The demographic change and the difficulties to access health care services are increasing the problems of care in rural regions. Furthermore, a structured network and a cooperation of the health care sectors is missing.
Methods: The levels of analysis of health systems research by Schwartz et al. (2003) are used as the framework for the conception of a community care network.
Research Focus: A mixed methods study is performed to derive factors which secure the realization of a community care network.
Methodological and Theoretical Focus: The development of the community care network concept is based on interdisciplinary research. It follows a design science approach.
Results: The community care network bundles the analogue and digital structures to give the elderly access to the supporting services. At the macro-level, knowledge-, network- and education-management are connected by a network manager based at the respective public health authority. At the meso-level, there is a platform which includes the coordination and bundling of digital and analogue health care services. At the micro-level, the individual person is supported by means of activating individualized hybrid services through an information and communication infrastructure. According to the people’s requirements, they can choose between analogue and digital health care services.
Conclusions: Linking the three levels by means of a network manager, the difficulties to access health care services can be reduced and the cooperation of the sectors can be improved.