'Pay-per-use' Concept in Healthcare: A Grounded Theory Perspective

摘要

Healthcare organizations worldwide are faced with the growing challenge of introducing structural and technological reforms and cost-effective IT solutions that will transform the traditional structure of healthcare provision. Current technological developments have shed optimistic light on the future of IT in healthcare. This paper introduces 'Pay-Per-Use' concept in healthcare delivery services, which could prove appropriate for a small country like the State of Kuwait. The research question is directed towards the appropriateness and usefulness of such a concept. The need for effective and efficient healthcare delivery services in health organizations implies the need to establish a healthcare paradigm that is investment, communication, technology, platform, database, application - independent. The Grounded Theory (GT) forms the basis of the new concept, using a social context and referring to a typical clinical scenario. The social process fundamental to GT provides a specific and systematic approach to understand medical work and network of relationships among healthcare entities. Interpretations and analysis of data in the social context facilitates clearer understanding of concepts and categories and enables the formulation of a theory and a model architecture. The State of Kuwait is a typical example of a small country that is fast advancing in IT, where the new concept can be put to the test within the required infrastructure for the development of a beneficial healthcare delivery system in the country.