Opportunities and challenges in healthcare information systems research: Caring for patients with chronic conditions

Abstract

To prepare for the 2030 “baby-boomer challenge”, some governments have begun to implement healthcare reforms over the past two decades. These reforms have led healthcare information systems (HIS) to evolve into a major research area in our discipline. This research area has an increasing individual, organizational, and economic impact. Due to the 2030 “baby-boomer challenge”, the number of elderly individuals continues to increase, and they may have chronic illnesses, such as eye problems and Alzheimer’s disease. Given the practical need for HIS that support chronic care, we decided to conduct a literature synthesis and identify opportunities for HIS research. Specifically, we present the chronic care model and analyze how IS researchers have discussed HIS to address the needs of patients with chronic illness. Further, we identify research gaps and discuss the research topics on HIS that future work can extend and customize to support these patients. Our results stimulate and guide future research in the HIS area. This paper has the potential to strengthen the body of knowledge on HIS.