Model-Based Methodology for the Analysis of e-Health Systems Diffusion: Case Study of a Knowledge-Centered Telehealthcare System Based on a Mixed License

Abstract

There is an increasing need of solutions for the well-being of citizens within a current scenario featured by the aging of population, growth of chronic pathologies, higher demand of healthcare, and change of social models. Despite the proved reliability of ICT to provide efficient solutions to e-health, their diffusion is still very scarce. This work presents a new integrative insight in the e-health diffusion problem by means of a mathematical model-based methodology. The model has been developed following an analogy to the chemical kinetics theory. The outcomes obtained by the mathematical model agree with the results of experimental and theoretical studies about the diffusion of innovative information systems. A knowledge-centered e-health system with mixed license model, based on a previous telehealthcare system published by some of the authors, is briefly presented in the last Section. It provides a business strategy that takes advantage of some of the concepts of the e-health diffusion model.