Applying cluster analysis to build a patient-centric healthcare service strategy for elderly patients

[[abstract]]Cluster analysis can be viewed as a cornerstone for customer-centred services since it contributes to classification and segmentation of customers. The proposed six-step approach is based on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) perspective and hence enables both, patient segmentation by cluster analysis, and development of customised services. The six steps are selection, preprocessing, transformation, data mining, evaluation and integration. Therefore, the proposed approach is a procedure to support knowledge management for strategic decision making. In the empirical study, we show how to deploy the proposed approach to build a customised service strategy for elderly patients. This procedure can also be applied to other data sets. Copyright © 2009 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

Applying cluster analysis to build a patient-centric healthcare service strategy for elderly patients

[[abstract]]Cluster analysis can be viewed as a cornerstone for customer-centred services since it contributes to classification and segmentation of customers. The proposed six-step approach is based on a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) perspective and hence enables both, patient segmentation by cluster analysis, and development of customised services. The six steps are selection, preprocessing, transformation, data mining, evaluation and integration. Therefore, the proposed approach is a procedure to support knowledge management for strategic decision making. In the empirical study, we show how to deploy the proposed approach to build a customised service strategy for elderly patients. This procedure can also be applied to other data sets

Information Design for Personas in Four Professional Domains of User Experience Design, Healthcare, Market Research, and Social Media Strategy

Practitioners in user-centric industries have increasingly recognized the applicability of personas. However, the methods used to create personas in different domains remain inconsistent and unsystematic. We analyzed 51 studies focused on designing personas for professional purposes and found the practice most prevalent in the user experience design, healthcare, market research, and social media strategy domains. Within these domains, user experience design personas are characterized by their focus on user activity goals, health personas on medical patients’ physical symptoms, market research personas on customers’ lifestyles, and social media strategy personas on interactions within and between online communities. We identify and compare the elements in the personas. Based on these, we provide guidelines for professionals interested in developing personas for understanding barriers to positive user experience, recruiting users, and building online communities, including how to represent persona details related to lifestyle and health, contexts of product usage, and scaling of online data

Value Creation in Health Care: The Case of the Princesse Grace Hospital (CHPG) Monaco

Health care has to make transitions to be truly effective in the modern world. A change in paradigm is needed. This requires that value - defined as the health outcome for a particular medical condition per unit of cost expended - must be applied and added to health care, and health care itself must be treated as a business that performs in a competitive environment to ultimately provide client or customer satisfaction. Health care today is typically service specific, necessitating that the client or patient visits different medical or clinical departments to get the range of treatment prescribed for his/her condition. We argue – following Porter and Teisberg - that health care should be patient-centric and that organization and treatment should be planned accordingly. Such planning must take into account the provision of a range of services directly accessible or networked regionally taking full advantage of technological advances in the field of medical technology and informational systems. We examine whether such principles are currently being applied in Monaco (specifically in the Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace) taking into account both Monaco’s unique positioning and its geographical context in relation to the French health system as well as the resulting interaction in networking relationships. We explore how value in healthcare is currently being added and investigate plans for augmenting such efforts. Aspects of preventative and innovative initiatives are also discussed as a means of enhancing value. Finally, we offer a set of recommendations that in the context of the local situation might be successfully applied. Continuous review of performance and the application of best practice and technologies are proposed to ensure that the provision of health care services can compete with the best in the world.Health care; value creation in health care; Monaco; Southern France

What is the value of domiciliary medication review services? A mixed-method exploration and analysis of medicines optimisation in domiciliary settings

Medication reviews are recognised as essential to identifying and optimising problematic polypharmacy. Domiciliary medication reviews (DMRs) which have become more prevalent in recent years, are identified as comprehensive and patient-centric medication reviews. Despite their popularity, there is little evidence on where the value of DMRs lies. This research aimed to understand the value of domiciliary medication reviews using mixed methods. The research was underpinned by a systematic review of the literature to understand the existing landscape around DMRs. Correlational techniques were used to explore the relationships between demographics and intervention variables. The deeper service-based perceptions and views of both patients and DMR pharmacists were sought using semi-structured interviews and focus groups. The systematic review revealed a very profession-centric view of DMRs that suggested the impact of these services could be measured using traditional clinical outcomes. The literature rarely went beyond describing clinical process measures. The quantitative analysis revealed that individuals have differing needs that go beyond the scope of the medications they take. Results suggested that a ‘one size fits all’ approach to service delivery will not work optimally, and instead a holistic and more comprehensive approach is needed. The qualitative analysis suggested that conducting medication reviews in the domiciliary setting afforded advantages over traditional healthcare settings. For individuals the medicines expertise of professionals is important but so too is the socialisation aspect of the review. The time spent conducting a review was essential for a comprehensive review and ensuring individuals felt heard. This multi-method and multi-perspective study enabled a richer understanding of where the added value of DMRs services might lie. It is suggested that the value lies in a well thought out service, delivered by knowledgeable medicines experts (pharmacists), who are able to connect with patients and understand their needs, even when they are not medication related

Health recommender system design in the context of CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD project

CAREGIVERSPRO-MMD an EU H2020 funded project aims to build a digital platform focusing on people living with dementia and their caregivers, offering a selection of advanced, individually tailored services enabling them to live well in the community for as long as possible. This paper provides an outline of a health recommender system designed in the context of the project to provide tailored interventions to caregivers and people living with dementia.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Digital transformation in healthcare: Analyzing the current state-of-research

Abstract Digital transformation in healthcare is of increasing relevance for both scholars and practitioners in the field. Our article attempts to assess the research question how multiple stakeholders implement digital technologies for management and business purposes. To answer this question, we perform a systematic literature review about the state of the art of digital transformation in healthcare. Our findings show that prior research falls into five clusters: operational efficiency by healthcare providers; patient-centered approaches; organizational factors and managerial implications; workforce practices; and socio-economic aspects. These clusters are linked together into a model showing how these various forms of technology implementation lead to operational efficiencies for services providers. Various directions for future research and management implications are offered

Improving the usefulness and use of patient experience feedback

Patient experience is recognised as a pillar of healthcare quality equal to safety and effectiveness (1)(2). In the UK National Health Service (NHS), this paradigm has supported robust feedback collection, leading to a repository of nationally-collected patient experience data (3)(4). However, such data has not been effectively used to drive local quality improvements (4)(5)(6). This work addresses the question, how can the usefulness and use of patient experience feedback be improved? In order to contribute a clear body of knowledge in response, this work ascertains the root causes of limited data use; tests how novel analytic techniques can enhance data utility; and explores how experience data can be used in conjunction with other data to improve organisational responsiveness to patient feedback. First, this work systematically appraises the evidence relied upon to design patient surveys. This confirms a deficit of patient input into the evidence base, and subsequently insufficient information about how patients’ priorities differ. Population segmentation techniques are then employed to identify patient groups and their varying concerns, and present feedback in a disaggregated way that facilitates targeted improvement. Furthermore, interviews with NHS staff elucidate what adaptations they feel are necessary in order to embed national patient survey results within their local improvement strategies. This work then leverages existing data to generate a new patient experience composite score that challenges current national benchmarking metrics. The composite score is used to cluster acute NHS organisations, revealing organisational patterns in patient experience. Furthermore, multi-linear regression analysis delineates which organisational factors predict positive patient experience, intimating the importance of cultural variables. A translational research case study then captures the process towards achieving the organisational culture necessary to act on patient experience data. Individually, these findings convey a series of policy recommendations, while cumulatively they showcase the possibilities for a more patient-centric health service.Open Acces