Evaluating the E-Health Cloud Computing Systems Adoption in Taiwan's Healthcare Industry.

Shih-Chia Chang,Ming-Tsang Lu,Tzu-Hui Pan,Chiao-Shan Chen

doi:10.3390/life11040310

Abstract

Although the electronic health (e-health) cloud computing system is a promising innovation, its adoption in the healthcare industry has been slow. This study investigated the adoption of e-health cloud computing systems in the healthcare industry and considered security functions, management, cloud service delivery, and cloud software for e-health cloud computing systems. Although numerous studies have determined factors affecting e-health cloud computing systems, few comprehensive reviews of factors and their relations have been conducted. Therefore, this study investigated the relations between the factors affecting e-health cloud computing systems by using a multiple criteria decision-making technique, in which decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL), DANP (DEMATEL-based Analytic Network Process), and modified VIKOR (VlseKriterijumska Optimizacija I Kompromisno Resenje) approaches were combined. The intended level of adoption of an e-health cloud computing system could be determined by using the proposed approach. The results of a case study performed on the Taiwanese healthcare industry indicated that the cloud management function must be primarily enhanced and that cost effectiveness is the most significant factor in the adoption of e-health cloud computing. This result is valuable for allocating resources to decrease performance gaps in the Taiwanese healthcare industry.

Highlights

Electronic health (e-health) cloud computing is a progressive technology that can revolutionize the healthcare industry
This evaluation of the e-health cloud computing systems adoption is a strategic issue with dependence factors
The decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) assessment structure was developed for the e-health cloud computing systems with four dimensions and 12 factors

Summary

Introduction

Electronic health (e-health) cloud computing is a progressive technology that can revolutionize the healthcare industry. Cloud computing has numerous advantages such as high speed, flexibility, scalability, fast deployment, resource sharing, energy saving, and costeffective infrastructure, which can considerably influence daily life [1]. Computing facilities and resources can be established conveniently in any location. The healthcare industry is focused on sustainable development, and future healthcare models are expected to be data centric. Cloud computing can facilitate coordination, communication, and collaboration between various healthcare systems [2]. The rapid development of information and technology has resulted in advances in numerous healthcare applications such as hospital information systems, medical diagnostic systems, electronic health records, and healthcare monitoring [3,4]. Improving the efficiency and accuracy of healthcare information systems requires critical decision-making

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