Drivers, Challenges and Recommendations to E-Health Development: A Case Study of Jordan

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Abstract

AbstractThe University of ManchesterYaser Ahmad JalghoumDoctor of PhilosophyDrivers, Challenges and Recommendations to E-Health Development: A Case Study of Jordan6 May 2015The adoption of information systems and new technologies in the healthcare sector is becoming increasingly important, especially for developing countries, as it provides golden opportunities to modernize their structure, develop relationships with stakeholders, improve performance and achieve economic and social developments. Therefore, many developing countries are launching e-health initiatives aiming at innovating their current systems and transforming the traditional way of doing things. However, evidences show that the majority of e-health initiatives are not progressing as expected and that most of them end up with failures. The major aim of this thesis is to reveal the key drivers and challenges that support or impede the development of e-health and recommend strategies that can assist in managing future implementation efforts.A qualitative approach was employed and guided the process of research design, data collection and data analysis. This research used a single case study as the main technique. The case of this thesis is the Jordanian e-health initiative. The major source to collect data was semi structured interviews. Data was analysed through template analysis technique. Additionally, the researcher developed a novel conceptual framework to be used as a useful guide during the data collection and analysis phases. The framework was validated through the empirical work in Jordan.This thesis presented the research findings into three main themes; drivers, challenges and recommendations to e-health development in Jordan. Findings of the empirical work in Jordan confirm findings of previous studies available in current literature with respect to the drivers and challenges that influence the development of e-health initiatives. However, this thesis adds to the current literature some unique findings that were not revealed before. These being; Drivers: Religious motives, Availability of social media, Catch medicine shoppers, Jordan valued characteristics, Availability of local supportive environment & entities. And as for Challenges: Culture of blame, Discrimination acts, Arab spring, Tax evasion, Doctors role as managers. These new findings developed distinctively from the Jordanian, Islamic and Arabic context that was investigated. Finally, different practical recommendations, deployment strategies and management techniques were given to provide insights and ideas to decision makers and e-health leaders to manage future implementation efforts.The value of this thesis is fourfold. First, it contributes as a new reference in the field of e-health with respect to the drivers and challenges that impact the progress of e-health initiatives in developing countries and particularly in Jordan, where existing literature appears to be very limited. Second, it enriches the e-health literature by presenting new unique findings that were not revealed prior to this study. Third, the proposed framework developed in this study could be used as a valuable source for policy makers and practitioners as it supports understanding the key issues that correlate to e-health initiatives progress and thus assists decision makers to identify significant approaches and beneficial actions needed in order to ensure a smooth transformation towards e-health. Fourth, it encourages changes in practice as it suggests practical methods for leaders in order to manage future implementation efforts.

Keyword(s)

Drivers, Challenges, E-Health, Jordan

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