Patient bodies that are digitized and thus able to become engaged and activated, to take control of their health and to create their data on themselves and share these data with others also to access the info produced by medical testing(Lupton, 2013).
The objective of this study is to present the notion of multiplicity of the body. The proposed approach by the authors involves an examination of the human body through three distinct structural levels that align with the three primary categories of cultural elements, namely artefacts, norms, and meanings(Soukup & Dvořáková, 2016). The aforementioned levels may be regarded as facets or constituents of an entity as illustrated in Figure-1.0: Structural Levels of Human Body regarded as Organizational Elements.
The authors propose that when scrutinising the human body from an anthropological standpoint, it is advisable to consider it as a cultural object that is moulded and impacted by diverse extrinsic elements such as body modifications, medical intervention, and biomedical innovation(Schicktanz, 2007). The aforementioned phenomenon can be interpreted as an organisational facet, given that the aforementioned extrinsic factors play a role in moulding the physical form into a cultural construct.
Furthermore, the authors suggest analysing the human body in conjunction with societal norms and customs. Norms are informal regulations that dictate conduct within a specific cultural milieu. They serve as organisational components that direct and organise the manner in which individuals engage with and understand their physical selves(Mollborn & Short, 2015).
Additionally, the authors underscore the significance of comprehending the body in relation to the connotations ascribed to it within a given cultural milieu. The attribution of significance to the human body can be regarded as structuring principles that influence an individual's self-concept, sense of self, and interpersonal relationships(Markus et al., 1991).
Within the scope of cultural anthropology, the impact of artefacts, norms, and meanings on the human body can be regarded as organisational elements (Kumar, 2017).
Gareth Morgan's "Images of Organization" is a classic in the field of organizational theory and management; in it, he employs a wide variety of metaphors pertaining to machines, organisms, the brain, and even cultures to depict the inner workings of organizations. Such metaphors aren't flawless and may be susceptible to prejudice and limits, but assist in obtaining a greater understanding of the complicated and multidimensional nature of organizations (Brandt & Herrington, 2004).
This analogy draws a comparison between businesses and living organisms, highlighting the necessity of specific conditions and resources for their survival and prosperity. Just as patients require ongoing adaptation and adjustment to changing conditions and environments to maintain their health, businesses must also engage in continuous adaptation and adjustment to remain viable(Lawrence et al., 2023).
Similar to the essential resources that a patient needs to sustain life, businesses also require a range of resources including capital, employees, technology, and market demand to ensure their survival and expansion. The absence of these fundamental resources would impede the optimal functioning of both patients and businesses(Mosadeghrad, 2014).
Moreover, it is imperative for both patients and businesses to consistently adapt to novel circumstances. In order to sustain their overall health, individuals must acclimatise to alterations in their physical condition, daily routine, and surroundings(Dias et al., 2017). In order to maintain competitiveness and achieve success, businesses must be responsive to changes in market conditions, industry trends, technological developments, and customer preferences(Kruk et al., 2018).
In a similar vein to patients, businesses necessitate effective management and decision-making. Healthcare providers play a crucial role in making informed decisions about the health and treatment options of their patients(Kapp, 2007). Likewise, enterprises depend on their management teams and leaders to formulate strategic judgements that impact their functioning, expansion, and comprehensive triumph(Fuertes et al., 2020).
The aforementioned analogy drawn between businesses and patients serves to underscore the fluidity inherent in the former and the imperative of ongoing adjustment and administration to ensure their viability and achievement(Chu et al., 2020).
Patients, like organisms, may be thought of as organisations, and the two concepts are analogous. Comparing the structure, function, and dynamics of organisations to those of biological creatures is common in the fields of organisational theory and management studies(Faghih & Bavandpour, 2016).
Like a corporation, an organism is made up of many different subsystems that all have to work together to complete a task as depicted in Fig. 2.0. A patient might be thought of in a similar way, as an organism with interconnected parts that must all be healthy and functioning in order to stay that way(Sociology 250 - Notes on Durkheim, n.d.).
Patients are seen as more than simply receivers of treatment when we adopt the organism metaphor. They become seen as active participants with their own unique set of systems and processes. They are like organisms in that each has its own specific requirements, set of skills, and way of dealing with the environment(Chu et al., 2020). The patient's ability to take charge of their own care and adjust to shifting health conditions are emphasised from this vantage point(Bolz-johnson et al., 2021).
The organism metaphor also emphasises the interdependence of many parts of a patient's healthcare experience. Patients depend on their healthcare professionals, technology, and support systems in the same way as organs in a body rely on each other for optimal functioning(Reid et al., 2005).
The intricacies and dynamics of patient care may be better understood if healthcare workers and stakeholders think of patients as organisations or organisms. It advocates for healthcare that takes into account not just the person receiving treatment but also their social and environmental setting and the interconnections between them(Vahdat et al., 2014).
The metaphor of an organism as an organisation may be helpful, but it's vital to remember that it's not meant to be taken too literally(Nicholson, 2018). Patients are individuals with their own set of priorities and perspectives who may not perfectly fit the mould of a conventional group or organism. However, a patient-centered approach that recognises and values variation and uniqueness is necessary to fully realise the metaphor's potential for illuminating the patient's position and dynamics within the healthcare system(Entwistle & Watt, 2013).
Inside or beyond hospital boundaries, patient to be treated akin to organization as a means of producer and customer of real-time data which will further ensure better coordination of clinical and nonclinical pathways to deliver high-quality care (Chu et al., 2020)as illustrated in (Fig. 3.0).
Access to relevant information in real time will help to overcome potential bottlenecks. For example, if the flow of patients through the care journey is delayed, services such as other appointments, cleaning, transportation, meal ordering, and others are also pushed back. Real-time data will also enable health intervention before problems occur(Why Distributed Care Is the Future of Healthcare - Blog _ Philips, n.d.). Ultimately, all stakeholders benefit from having access to a 360-degree understanding of all relevant data—clinical and nonclinical(Sulis et al., 2022).
The Patient, as an Individual, can be regarded as an Organization:
Although it may seem counterintuitive, a thorough, patient-centered strategy requires taking an organisational stance when dealing with individual patients.
Building the concept of “Patient as an organization” became even more compelling after reading Deborah Lupton's "Medicine as Culture: Illness, Disease, and the Body." In this piece, Lupton cites Deleuze and Guattari to argue that "the body, health, and identity" are interconnected and interdependent entities that form each other through a reciprocal exchange of practice, meaning, social relations, and relations with objects.(Lupton, n.d.).
She also addressed the role of the state, which, as she put it, "executes supervisory action and controlling bodies" to establish guidelines for how people like patients "self-regulate and regulate their bodily deportment."
According to Turner, "the body is a metaphor for social organization and social anxieties, the primary field of cultural and political activities." Central to somatic society are the control, surveillance, and monitoring of bodies and the spaces between them (Shilling, C. 2012).
Several writers and anthropologists, including Scheper-Hughes, have also described three bodies inside the physical body of the person or patient, all existing on three distinct but underlying theoretical and systematic levels.
The first is each person's unique perception of their own body, which may be distinguished from the perceptions of others(Lock et al., 1993).
A "sick society," "the foot of the mountain," or "the head of state" are all examples of discourses that illustrate the second idea, the social body. This idea focuses on how we conceptualise culture, society, and environment via the symbolic and representational use of our bodies.(Lock et al., 1993).
To keep societal "stability" at bay, the state controls, regulates, and surveys individual and group-level bodily behaviour via biopolitics at the third level(Lock et al., 1993).
The medicalized body, the sexual body, the disciplined body, and the talking body are the four forms of physical selves that Frank outlines. The lines delineating these categories must be somewhat porous. Other sorts of bodies are also tied to the medical system, but the medicalized body is the most obviously linked to the medical care of sickness in its name(Frank, 2000).
The third level of biopolitics saw the emergence of a new dimension with the advent of digitization: the digital incarnation of the body, or the virtual self in the form of data. The state's monitoring and surveillance therefore included the patient's virtual as well as physical selves(Fiske et al., 2020).
Our conventional notions of organizational boundaries are being challenged as we explore the new paradigm of seeing the patient as an organization. Future healthcare providers, administrators, organizations, and society stand to benefit from this concept. This change raises quite a few intriguing questions.
Exploring the Nexus: Policy, Purpose, and Innovation in Organizations and their Impact on Value Creation and Distribution:
The foundation of treating a patient as an organization is the belief that healthcare should be a collaborative and coordinated effort, similar to how different departments work together to accomplish shared objectives. Applying this comparison to the rise of digital health, we see how crucial it is to incorporate technology into patients' healthcare experiences without causing disruptions(Borges do Nascimento et al., 2023).
Policies have a significant impact on the environment in which healthcare providers work. Organizational efficacy in implementing new technology is highly susceptible to policies about data protection, interoperability standards, and digital health(Dash et al., 2019). For instance, healthcare providers may build trust with one another and exchange patient information for better-informed decision-making when there are clear rules on data sharing and security(Novikov & Katz-Navon, 2023).
Providing high-quality patient care is important to every healthcare organization's mission. This goal should guide digital health advances, which should streamline operations, improve communication between healthcare practitioners, and benefit patients. These goals are advanced with the use of technologies like electronic health records (EHRs), telemedicine, and remote monitoring, which improve the healthcare organization's mission in the long run(Somanchi et al., 2023).
The development of digital health has sparked innovation, which in turn has brought forth new approaches to healthcare delivery and data management. Efficiency gains, cost reductions, and better patient experiences are all possible outcomes of embracing new technology. The adaptability of the organization and the backing of appropriate policies are crucial to the effective integration of innovation(Abernethy et al., 2022).
The interaction between healthcare organizations' policies, purposes, and innovation directly affects value production and distribution. Value is created via improved patient outcomes and operational efficiency, which are consequences of policies that encourage the integration of digital health technologies that align with the organization's mission(Brown et al., 2003). Patients, healthcare providers, and payers may all share in this value, making for a healthcare system that is both fair and efficient.
In conclusion, digital health innovations may be more easily integrated into healthcare systems when a clear regulatory framework supports these organizations' goals. In the long run, this integration helps providers and patients by creating value and distributing it fairly across the healthcare ecosystem, leading to better health outcomes.
Optimizing Decision-Making: Organizational Processes for Integrating Key Elements:
In digital health, the concept of the patient as an organization means taking a broader view of healthcare, with the patient as the focal point around which all other parts—such as data, technology, and healthcare providers—revolve. Decisions in the healthcare system are greatly influenced by organizational procedures, which are essential for integrating various parts successfully(Gilmartin & D’Aunno, 2007).
Developing interoperable technologies that provide smooth data exchange and communication among many healthcare stakeholders is an essential organizational activity. Making decisions under the patient-as-an-organization paradigm depends on access to complete and up-to-the-minute patient data. The capacity for patients, digital health technology, and healthcare practitioners to share and access pertinent information is known as interoperability and promotes team decision-making(Somanchi et al., 2023).
Data governance and the implementation of privacy measures are other organizational procedures. The importance of safeguarding patient data cannot be overstated, considering the delicate nature of health information. Data access, sharing, and utilization must be governed by strict rules and procedures, and decision-making processes must comply with data protection requirements(Kruk et al., 2018).
Organizational frameworks that prioritize the needs of patients are also crucial. One component of this strategy is the formation of care teams in which patients have an integral role in making decisions. Digital health solutions allow people to access their medical information, allow for remote monitoring, and encourage collaborative decision-making with healthcare providers, all promoting patient participation(Cronin et al., 2023).
The degree to which healthcare providers and patients are literate in digital health also factors into decision-making in the patient-as-an-organization paradigm. To make sure that people involved in making decisions can use digital health technology, organizations need to implement training programs and CEU efforts.
Organizational processes prioritizing data privacy and governance, interoperability, patient-centric care models, and improved digital health literacy among stakeholders are essential for successfully integrating patients, digital health technologies, and healthcare providers. When these procedures are in sync, healthcare organizations may foster an atmosphere where choices are collaborative, based on solid information, and focused on the patient's needs(Wang, 2021).
Navigating Intractable Challenges: Innovative Organizational Policies, Processes, and Practices for Employee and Manager Resilience and Purpose :
Alignment of patients are considered an integral part of the healthcare system under the "Patient as an Organisation" model, prioritizing teamwork, openness, and participation. To improve patient care and satisfaction, it is crucial to match organizational policies, procedures, and practices when incorporating digital health into this framework(Iyanna et al., 2022).
Creating transparent standards for the moral use of digital health technology and protecting the confidentiality of patient information are examples of how organizations are rethinking their policies. Fostering a culture of continual development, policies may also handle the incorporation of patient input into decision-making procedures(Meskó et al., 2017).
In terms of process, healthcare providers may improve the flow of information by using digital health technologies to standardize their conversations. Removing physical distance and other obstacles, telemedicine can improve patient's access to treatment and shorten the time it takes to get it. Incorporating real-time data from digital health technologies into workflow processes allows for proactive and personalized patient treatment(Maroju et al., 2023).
By analyzing data to spot patterns, anticipate patients' requirements, and maximize the use of available resources, healthcare organizations may improve their practices. Healthcare workers may benefit from training programs that increase their digital literacy and teach them to use new technology. It is essential to encourage a spirit of creativity and flexibility in the workplace if we want the workers to be able to tackle the complex challenges posed by the dynamic field of digital health(Dahl & Pierce, 2020).
Ultimately, it's all about coordinating these advancements with the main goal of providing treatment focused on the patient. A dedication to lifelong learning, flexibility, and an emphasis on improving patient outcomes is essential. Healthcare providers may enhance their ability to deal with problems and impact patients' well-being by adopting digital health practices while preserving patient-centric principles(Siala & Wang, 2022).
By seeing patients as full partners in their healthcare, "Patient as an Organisation" advocates for more patient-centered, collaborative, and empowering approaches. Improving health outcomes is the common goal of healthcare providers and patients alike. When we link this idea with digital health, it becomes critical to investigate new organizational policies, procedures, and practices that help with this.
Harmonizing Internal Purpose and External Expectations: Strategies for Managerial Navigation:
In digital health, seeing a patient as an organization suggests a comprehensive treatment method, viewing the patient as a multi-faceted system with many interdependent parts. The patient takes an active role in their healthcare journey under this paradigm, and digital health technologies are essential for enabling communication, monitoring, and coordination among all parties involved(Gilmartin & D’Aunno, 2007).
With the use of a strategic framework, managers can resolve conflicts that emerge when digital health adoption and the idea of "Patient as an Organisation" collide with the expectations of external stakeholders. The overarching purpose of this framework is to manage external expectations in a way that is consistent with the organization's mission of patient-centered care. The DAC model is one such approach that uses these three phases.
1.Define:
• The organization's internal purpose. This is the first step in clarifying the purpose of the organisation. Gaining insight into the organization's guiding principles is essential, especially when considering patient-centered care and the implementation of digital health solutions(Hower et al., 2019).
Patients, healthcare providers, regulatory agencies, and technology partners are all examples of external stakeholders that should be identified and analysed using stakeholder mapping(Pandi-perumal, 2015). Find out what they think about patient-centered care and digital health uptake.
2. Align:
• Strategy Alignment: Making sure that the organization's internal mission and the strategic objectives for digital health are in sync. Making sure that the main goal of delivering patient-centered care is consistent with the deployment of digital health technology(Moschko, 2020).
Incorporate external stakeholders' viewpoints into the organization's strategy via active stakeholder engagement. Involving stakeholders in decision-making processes for digital health projects, as well as collecting feedback and conducting surveys, may be part of this(Toukola & Ahola, 2022).
3.Communicate:
• Open and honest communication: figure out how to let people know what your company's mission is and how it ties into digital health. Make sure that everyone involved, from within and outside the company, understands how these efforts will benefit them(Data, 2020).
• Anticipate and manage external stakeholders' expectations by keeping them informed of the iterative nature of digital health adoption, possible obstacles, and realistic timescales. There will be more mutual understanding and trust among all parties involved.
This DAC framework offers a formal way for managers to link their organization's objectives with the larger vision of patient-centric care, allowing them to handle the conflicts between internal purpose and external expectations(Greene et al., 2012). It stresses the significance of aligning strategies, working together with external stakeholders, and maintaining open lines of communication to guarantee that digital health projects help achieve the overarching goal of making patients active participants in their own healthcare. Treating patients as organisations via the deployment of digital health technologies requires a balanced and deliberate approach to overcoming the conflicts between internal purpose and external expectations. To navigate the ever-changing healthcare market, managers must ensure that their organisations' values are in line with external standards, promote open and honest communication, put compliance and security first, educate stakeholders, and be flexible(Mosadeghrad, 2014).
Fostering Societal Impact Through Innovative Organizational Structures, Systems, and Micro-Processes: Strategies for Leaders, Managers, and Workers:
The increasing use of digital health technologies to improve healthcare delivery is in line with the idea of seeing a patient as an organisation. To ensure long-term effect, leaders, managers, and employees must innovate organisational forms, methods, and micro-processes to incorporate social challenges into their daily work(Abubakar et al., 2019).
Integrating digital health technology into the patient-as-an-organization paradigm is one new approach. As an example, EHRs facilitate the exchange of patient records among medical professionals, which in turn increases teamwork and the quality of treatment patients get. Further, by removing geographical boundaries and increasing accessibility, telehealth solutions improve patients' access to healthcare(Zhang & Saltman, 2022).
The implementation of value-based care models is a groundbreaking change in organisational structures. Healthcare organisations may put the well-being of society first by concentrating on patient happiness and results rather than the quantity of services offered. To measure and analyse these results, digital tools are crucial(Teisberg et al., 2020). They allow for data-driven decision-making, which is essential for ongoing development.
Using AI and machine learning algorithms is an example of a systems innovation. These tools can sift through mountains of medical records in search of patterns, epidemic warnings, and ways to better use available resources. In addition to improving healthcare delivery efficiency, this helps society as a whole by proactively tackling public health issues(Technology, 2021).
The use of mobile health applications and wearable technologies demonstrates micro-process breakthroughs. Promoting preventative care and early intervention, these technologies enable people to actively engage in their own health management. Constant monitoring and feedback empower patients to adopt well-informed lifestyle choices, aligning with society's larger objective of enhanced public health(Iyanna et al., 2022).
In conclusion, a game-changing strategy for healthcare may be achieved by incorporating digital health technologies into the patient-as-an-organization paradigm. Through the utilisation of technology at different levels, such as organisational forms, systems, and micro-processes, individuals in leadership and management roles can incorporate social issues into their everyday work. This will have a lasting effect and help advance healthcare for the greater good of society.
Striking a Balance: Crafting Policies for Responsible and Innovative Technology Use at Macro, Meta, and Micro Organizational Levels:
It is critical to acknowledge that patients are becoming more involved in their healthcare journey if we are to successfully integrate the idea of "Patient as an Organisation" with digital health adoption. With this change comes a renewed emphasis on patient-provider collaboration, open access to their health records, and the idea that patients are intelligent entities similar to organizations(Liu et al., 2019). Incorporating digital health technology is a game-changer in patient empowerment and healthcare system transformation.
An integrated strategy is essential when thinking about crafting policies at the macro, meso, and micro levels to promote purpose-oriented innovation while balancing the regulation of new technologies.
1. On a broader scale, regulations at the national and international levels should address the ethical, privacy, and security issues raised by digital health technology. The process includes establishing data security, interoperability, and fair access norms.
Governments may incentivize healthcare organizations to utilize digital health responsibly and creatively by establishing incentive programs. For firms who comply, these incentives might be cash prizes, public recognition, or simplified regulatory procedures(D. Health et al., n.d.).
2. On a higher level, within the healthcare system and the industry, there should be:
Industry Standards: Trade groups and healthcare organizations should work together to create digital health best practices that are recognized worldwide. A standardized method for sharing information, protecting sensitive data, and ethically using patient information is assured(Alenezi et al., 2021).
To promote a culture of awareness and competency, it is necessary to teach healthcare professionals and management how to utilize digital health technology responsibly. Training programs and other forms of ongoing education may use this(Gardner et al., n.d.).
• Organisational rules and Guidelines: Organizations need to establish internal rules that control the use of digital health technology. This level of management oversees the whole process. As part of this, there should be transparent protocols for patient data protection, informed consent, and the incorporation of patient input into new product development(Gilmartin & D’Aunno, 2007).
• Equipment for Innovation and Teams: To promote the development of purpose-oriented technology, healthcare organizations might establish specialized innovation teams(Bird et al., 2021). To meet actual requirements, these groups may collaborate with patients to develop solutions.
Within the "Patient as an Organisation framework," regulations should prioritize patient-centered methods, guaranteeing that digital health technology adoption aligns with patient values and preferences and boosts health outcomes. Fostering a healthcare environment in which patients are both contributors to and recipients of technology progress necessitates an accompanying dedication to responsible, ethical, and purpose-oriented development as an incentive for innovation(Silva et al., 2018).
Government Intervention and Collective Action: Impacts on Organizations Addressing Complex Grand Challenges:
"Patient as an Organisation" is based on the premise that people, particularly in healthcare settings, can solve complicated problems by working together strategically, much like an organization. This idea is significant in adopting digital health, as people try to understand and use new technologies to improve their healthcare.
The regulatory or deregulation efforts of the government have a significant impact on the digital health industry. A regulatory framework's mark on an organization's (or patients') capacity to organize collective action might be positive or negative. To guarantee patient privacy, data security, and system integrity, well-crafted rules may provide a controlled and safe environment for the implementation of digital health technologies. Conversely, problems like uncertainty, privacy worries, and other dangers might result from either too many rules or not enough of them.
The government should step in when transparent standards, interoperability protocols, and frameworks are in place to encourage innovation while protecting patients' interests. Digital health technologies may be made to conform to ethical norms and fulfill quality and safety standards with the help of regulatory supervision. Also, when the government steps in, it helps level the playing field for everyone involved, which is great for teamwork(Journal, n.d.).
Problems may arise, nevertheless, when dealing with institutional disputes and regulatory variation among nations. Global interoperability and cooperation may be impeded by the potential slowdown in solution development caused by different compliance requirements and legislation. Harmonizing legislation and ensuring a smooth health information interchange necessitates international collaboration and standardization initiatives to bridge these gaps(State of Play and Review of Major, 2020).
Patient organizations have an even greater challenge when complying with various regulations. Because of differences in law, patients may encounter obstacles when accessing or sharing their health data internationally. Promoting international cooperation, harmonizing regulatory frameworks, and guaranteeing conformity with global standards are all crucial ways in which governments may solve these concerns(Towett et al., 2023).
In conclusion, government interference may greatly affect patients' capacity to tackle complicated issues in digital health, whether in the form of regulation or deregulation. To overcome regulatory heterogeneity and institutional conflicts and to accelerate the development and acceptance of effective solutions, it is vital to strike a balance between regulatory control and supporting innovation. International collaboration is also essential.
Exploring the Impact of Regulatory Heterogeneity and Institutional Conflicts on Solution Development Pace Across Countries:
Regarding regulatory variability and institutional disputes both within and between nations, the question of the Patient as an Organisation concept's standpoint is thought-provoking. Let's dissect the question and provide a thorough response:
The term "regulatory heterogeneity" describes the various rules and regulations different nations have implemented regarding medical treatment and patient safety. Every country may have its unique regulations, norms, and customs.
Institutional conflicts are known as disagreements or confrontations between national institutions, such as healthcare providers, government agencies, and regulatory organizations.
Here, we provide an analytical framework for assessing the rate of solution development, innovation, and improvement in healthcare systems and patient care(Figueroa et al., 2019).
One new way to look at the effects of institutional disputes and regulatory heterogeneity on healthcare solution development speed is to think of patients as organizations.
Regulatory Heterogeneity
Developing solutions may be complicated due to the different regulatory environments in other nations. Since what is appropriate in one regulatory setting may not be readily transferable to or allowed in another, divergent regulations threaten the smooth integration of patient-as-an-organization frameworks. Collaborative efforts and worldwide standardization activities are essential to overcoming these gaps and speeding up the creation of solutions(Raus et al., 2020).
The alignment necessary for efficient implementation may be hindered by institutional conflicts, which arise when healthcare organizations, regulatory bodies, and government agencies within a nation are at odds with one another(Alderwick et al., 2021). All parties involved must work together to implement the patient-as-an-organization idea. For creative ideas to emerge, ending institutional strife and creating a shared vision and framework is critical.
The capacity to negotiate and reconcile regulatory disparities and settle institutional disputes is crucial to developing solutions in this setting. Healthcare institutions, regulators, and lawmakers must work together proactively to build a flexible and internationally applicable framework for patients as organizations(R. Health et al., 2021). To overcome challenges and speed up the creation and execution of solutions, timely and strategic inputs are crucial.
Open systems are designed to manage the exchange of information in the form of data across different organizations through interoperability and data security. Patients, as consumers of resources and producers of data, must adapt to the changing environment similar to open systems. To operate and survive as an open system organization, three challenges need to be addressed: regulatory standards, different data formats, and data security and surveillance.
Various countries have taken initiatives to facilitate the exchange of patient healthcare data. The Global Digital Health Partnership (GDHP) partners with 40 countries and its government agencies to promote digital health, focusing on cultural change initiatives to ensure seamless interoperability of organizational (Patients) data(Cascini et al., 2023).
In Europe, the EU EHR Exchange Format is working towards the transformation of patient care by formulating a platform of easy-flowing healthcare data across its member countries. The eHealth Digital Service Infrastructure is the central infrastructure for the EHR exchange, enabling the exchange of basic health information, such as e-Patient Outline and e-Prescriptions(Vekić et al., 2022).
Finland and Estonia were the first to implement the infrastructure to exchange patient summaries and e-Prescriptions, while further plans are underway to trade diagnostic tests in radiology and pathology. The European Commission has laid out needs for the "2019–2024 EU Digital Strategy," which includes creating a European Health Data Space(European Medicines Agencies Network (EMA/HMA), 2020).
The European Interoperability Framework (EIF) provides specific guidance on the formation of interoperable digital public services, formulated forty-seven concrete recommendations to ensure cross-patient relationships and establish end-to-end digital service frameworks without compromising existing and new legislation. Nordic countries also have integrated basic-level initiatives of patient data exchange within their member countries to ensure seamless treatment of their populations(Innovation, 2018).
In Asia and the South Pacific, many Asian nations are embracing advanced wellness methodologies to guarantee interoperability. For example, India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare distributed Electronic Health Record norms and established a Center for Health Informatics under the aegis of the eHealth Division of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare(Foundation et al., 2022).
New Zealand's medical care offices, patients, and people have committed to "New Zealand health interoperability" to foster the reception of trade foundations and cycles in their health area. Ultimately, progress toward the patient-as-an-organization paradigm requires us to recognize the difficulties presented by regulatory heterogeneity and institutional conflicts. Strategic cooperation, standardization initiatives, and diplomatic settlements are essential to expedite the creation of solutions in the intricate global healthcare environment(Gupta, 2022).
FHIR (fast healthcare interoperability resources) is a crucial tool in establishing standardization of organizational data. Open systems thinking emphasizes seamless interaction with the environment, and a normal trade standard is needed to access information stored within them. FHIR interacts with third-party applications, and NIH scientists can encourage outsider applications to remove clinical information from an FHIR API to improve wellbeing disclosures(Vorisek et al., 2022).
The eBusiness-based Framework for eHealth aims to consolidate norms available to laypeople, incorporating customer-centered phrasings and a data-driven worldview, rather than a message-driven approach.
There are three main functional blocks or components considered in the solution, as shown in Fig. 4.0 below:
1. FHIR API Converter to convert historical clinical data to FHIR format
2. AI/ML engine for prediction, diagnosis, and recommendation
3. FHIR Prediction Bundle to persist predictions
Fostering Inclusive Governance: Leaders' Strategies for Aligning Emerging Technologies and Organizational Practices with Equity:
Patients are urged to participate actively in their health management according to the "Patient as an Organisation" idea. With the rise of digital health technology, people are more involved in their treatment, have access to their medical records, and may even vote on important healthcare decisions(Lawrence et al., 2023).
Leaders in the healthcare industry have a significant responsibility to ensure that the organization's policies and practices align with the values of equality and inclusion when digital technologies are integrated(Alanazi, 2022).
There are several approaches that leaders may take to foster inclusiveness and reduce the likelihood of inequality:
1. Involve a Wide Range of Stakeholders: Involve a Wide Range of Stakeholders in Formulating and Executing Policies, Including Patients, Carers, Healthcare Professionals, and Technologists. This lessens the likelihood of biased or exclusive practices by ensuring other viewpoints are considered(Grill, 2021).
2. User-Centered Design: When creating and implementing digital health solutions, prioritize user-centered design principles. Leadership may improve accessibility and usability by listening to end-users and responding to their choices to meet the specific requirements of varied patient groups(Karp, 2023).
3. Data Privacy and Security: Take strong precautions to safeguard patient data. People are more likely to trust healthcare providers and less likely to worry about discrimination or abuse of personal information when there is transparency about data collection, use, and sharing(Nass & Levit, L. A. Gostin, 2009).
4. Programmes to Improve Digital Literacy: Fund initiatives to improve digital literacy so that people from all walks of life can use digital health resources well. As a result, people with different degrees of technical competence can access and use these technologies, closing the digital gap(O’Connor et al., 2016).
5. Fair Access: Give all people, notably those less fortunate, equal opportunity to use digital health services. To avoid worsening existing inequalities, leaders should tackle problems associated with geographical barriers, healthcare infrastructure discrepancies, and socio-economic disparities(Haimi, 2023).
6. Ongoing Evaluation: Consistently evaluate how digital health programs have affected various patient populations. Leaders may make educated changes to policies and practices by monitoring results and asking for input to spot discrepancies or unexpected effects(AMA, 2020).
7. Working Together with Local Groups: To learn more about the specific requirements of local communities, work with groups that focus on serving the public good. Executives may increase the efficacy and relevance of digital health initiatives by collaborating closely with these groups to address community needs(Dhingra & Dabas, 2020).
To sum up, healthcare organization executives should take the initiative to think about patients' varied demands and situations while developing policies and introducing digital health solutions. In this approach, the shift towards a "Patient as an Organisation" paradigm may help reduce healthcare disparities without sacrificing the quality of treatment for anybody.
Strategic Alignment of Incentives and Relationships for Purpose-Driven Co- Innovation: A Managerial Perspective:
The idea of the patient highlights the need for team effort and communication between medical professionals as an organization within the digital health framework. Healthcare delivery is like a networked organization under this model; patients are seen as active players in their treatment. Managers and stakeholders must align incentives and encourage constructive relational arrangements to ensure co-innovated solutions work in this setting.
Managers are vital in facilitating this teamwork by laying the groundwork for mutually beneficial partnerships. We may align incentives by offering financial rewards, recognizing our efforts, and working together to achieve patient-centric results. To collaborate effectively, loosely linked parties, including healthcare practitioners, software developers, and patient advocacy organizations, must identify areas of agreement(Kassinis, 2016).
Trust and open lines of communication are two of the most important ingredients in the recipe for successful relationship arrangements. This ensures everyone is on the same page and appreciates each other's input. Improving patient outcomes, increasing the patient experience, and optimizing healthcare delivery are purpose-driven goals that, in digital health, might be shared to facilitate effective cooperation(Rathert, 2023).
Communication and feedback loops must be continuous for co-innovated solutions to be developed and used. Maintaining technological alignment with the changing demands of the patient-as-an-organization model requires regular communication, which helps enhance solutions based on real-world observations(Buljac-Samardzic et al., 2020).
The integrity of purpose-driven goals in the digital health ecosystem cannot be compromised without a dedication to ethical concerns, data protection, and security(Cloutier & Ravasi, 2020).
In establishing a link between the patient and an organization, Managers, and stakeholders must proactively align incentives, cultivate collaborative connections, and support purpose-driven goals for the notion of digital health to be adopted. With this method, we can be confident that the co-invented solutions will be used to help patients and further healthcare's larger objectives.
Seeing a patient as an organization stems from the belief that healthcare is a team effort, including many different people and groups, similar to how a business operates with its many divisions and tasks(Rosen et al., 2018).
To guarantee the development and purposeful utilization of co-innovated solutions, it is essential that managers and loosely linked stakeholders in the context of digital health adoption match incentives and cultivate constructive relational arrangements(Karp, 2023).
Improving patient outcomes, enhancing care quality, and promoting general well-being are the overarching goals that should guide all activities and innovations in a purpose-driven approach. Managers may do this by fostering cooperation and common objectives by implementing tactics that synchronize the incentives of various stakeholders. For example, setting performance criteria focusing on patient-centric outcomes instead of personal accomplishments may help unite everyone(Amjad et al., 2023).
Technology developers, healthcare providers, and regulatory authorities are all loosely linked players that must be brought together cohesively. This necessitates the establishment of channels for unfettered dialogue, the exchange of information, and the formation of bonds that go beyond organizational boundaries(Panteli & Chiasson, 2008).
Managers may help make this happen by encouraging teams to work across disciplines, increasing the likelihood that other viewpoints will be considered in creating and implementing digital health solutions(Evans & Richards, 2020).
A continual assessment of how digital health solutions affect patient outcomes is also necessary due to the focus on purpose-driven goals. To ensure that innovations meet the changing demands of healthcare professionals and patients, managers should implement feedback systems that allow for real-time modifications. Solutions are continuously improved via this iterative creation and review process, ensuring they remain faithful to their objective of boosting healthcare delivery(Søvold et al., 2021).
To summarise, integrating digital health with the idea of patients as organisations require establishing connections focusing on purpose-driven goals and matching incentives. To improve patient outcomes by successfully utilizing digital health technologies, managers must foster an atmosphere where stakeholders interact, exchange information, and work together.
Optimizing Stakeholder Interactions: Harnessing Digital Technology for Innovative Value Creation and Distribution in Organizations:
Organizations may reevaluate their value production and distribution methods with the help of digital technologies. Organizations may demonstrate their ability to customize therapies based on specific patient characteristics via personalized medicine, which is made possible by enhanced data analytics and genetic testing. In addition to improving the effectiveness of healthcare treatments, this is in line with the idea of treating every patient as an individual with distinct needs and preferences.
In addition to involving patients in wellness and prevention initiatives, digital health treatments may go beyond the conventional healthcare context. The patient is empowered to take an active role in their own healthcare management via the use of virtual health coaches, health tracking applications, and remote monitoring(Yeung et al., 2023). An essential part of the "Patient as an Organization" idea is this change in emphasis from reactive to proactive treatment.
A Model for the Value Chain in Digital Health:
1. Gathering and Combining Data:
Wearables, smartphone applications, and other digital technologies should be made available to patients so that they may contribute data(Nielsen, 2022).
• Interoperability: Make sure that data from different sources, such as patient inputs and electronic health records (EHRs), can be seamlessly integrated(for Healthcare Research, n.d.).
2. Critical Thinking and Findings:
Using machine learning algorithms, examine patient data to draw predictions. This is known as predictive analytics.
• Personalized Medicine: Formulate unique treatment programs by analyzing patient records and taking their preferences into account.
3. Patient Portals: Give patients safe ways to view their medical records, interact with health education materials, and talk to their doctors.
Access to care may be made more accessible and faster with the help of telehealth services, which allow for virtual consultations.
4. Working Together and Coordinating:
• Multidisciplinary Communication: Use technology to facilitate better dialogue and teamwork among medical experts.
• Tools for Care Coordination: Make it easier for all parties involved to coordinate care plans and actions.
5. Utilizing Value-Based Care: • Outcome Measurement: Make use of electronic resources to monitor and assess the results for patients.
Reimbursement models should be in sync with good patient outcomes and participation as part of the incentive framework.
6. We improve continuously and welcome feedback.
• Patient Feedback Systems: Set up channels where patients may share their thoughts and feelings about their care.
• Iterative Development: Take user input and new technology into account to make digital health solutions better over time.
7. Privacy and Security: • Blockchain Technology: Use distributed ledger technology to encrypt and improve the security of patient data.
• Take all necessary steps to guarantee patient privacy and data security in accordance with applicable regulations.
Healthcare companies may redefine stakeholder relationships by using this paradigm, which fosters cooperation among healthcare professionals, actively involves patients in their treatment procedures, and provides tailored and data-driven insights. Healthcare services that are more patient-centric, efficient, and effective allow us to rethink the processes of value generation and distribution. Strategic integration of digital health promotes patient empowerment, healthcare results, and the patient experience as a whole.