Platformization Practices of Health Information Systems: A Case of National eHealth Platforms

Abstract

Using electronic health (eHealth) platforms is an approach for reaching more people to get services—for example during pandemics or disasters. eHealth platforms help reduce costs and improve the general quality of healthcare. However, establishing eHealth platforms at the national level is challenging due to legal, privacy, and financial constraints. Furthermore, studies on the national eHealth platform in the public sector are scarce. This motivated us to study and understand the process of implementing a public national eHealth platform. We use a qualitative case study as a research approach and the theory of practice and concept of site as lenses to examine the platformization practices of three national-level eHealth platforms. We contribute to the literature by identifying key features of site-shifting in eHealth and describing the practices and features of involved practitioners and the site regarding the process of establishing the platform. Our findings benefit practitioners, as the platformization phases can be seen as lessons when establishing a national eHealth platform. Additionally, the three approaches discussed in this study could be seen as a guide to creating national eHealth platforms.