A master thesis from Aalborg University
The Role of Blockchain in the Digitisation of German Healthcare - Analysis and Proposal for a Decision-Making Framework
Author(s)
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-06-20
Pages
55 pages
Abstract
This thesis investigates the triade of blockchain technology, digitisation and the German healthcare sector. The findings stem from extensive literature research, service design methods and analysis of non-numerical data from interviews, surveys and workshops. It became evident, that experts disagree about the relevance of blockchain for healthcare digitisation. Furthermore, healthcare workers dealing with patient data on a daily basis have made it known that there is a lack of data protection, understanding and user autonomy connected to the various systems and softwares clinics currently use. It was established that the complexity of the healthcare ecosystem has led to a structure of silos that makes communication, digital progress and co-creation difficult across all stakeholders. As a result, the four paradigms of digitisation efforts, use cases, user autonomy and ethical implications emerged, on the basis of which the facilitation framework “Consult together” was developed. The framework aims to serve as a guideline for service designers to investigate this multi-faceted topic , find appropriate methods, and connect all actors for a co-creative workshop that shall serve as a starting point for collective efforts to digitise German healthcare in an inclusive and sustainable manner. The steps described in the framework can be carried out as described or altered to fit different approaches and target groups. Instead of a static one-time effort, the framework is meant to incite further research and be tested in combination with different methods. Ideally, it can serve as a catalyst for breaking down silos and the development of cross-expertise communication channels.
Keywords
Documents
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