Improving healthcare service quality and patients' life quality through mobile technologies: The case of diabetes self-management

Abstract

Chronic diseases such as diabetes often require lifestyle adjustment and sometimes lifelong medical care especially when patients are not admitted to hospitals. In this context, self-management becomes pivotal. Anecdotal evidence suggests that using wireless technologies to facilitate self-management, in particular, is increasing adherence and even treatment outcome in chronic disease management. However, it is not clear if and how using wireless technology solutions also improves patients' service quality perception concerning their healthcare. The objective of this chapter is to address this shortcoming in existing literature and propose a service quality framework for wireless solutions in healthcare settings.