The Multimodality of a Digital Society

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Module ‘The multimodality of a digital society’ is the first module within the learning line Adoption of Digital Technology in Healthcare. The module lays the basis for the learning line on how digital technology has been shaping healthcare systems. The module starts with the complexity of healthcare from an international perspective and some of its challenges, including scarce resources, multiple stakeholders (e.g. patients, medical staff, health insurance, policymakers, and industry) and strict regulations and requirements. Students will then be introduced to digital technology including a historic overview and focusing on its impact regarding different aspects such as end-user characteristics, interface, perceived usefulness and ease of use, workflow, quality of care, ethics, accessibility, safety, data-driven decision-making and new treatment techniques. For this, module 2 exposes students to various theories, main players (government policies, OMS, healthcare insurance, funding agencies, etc.), medical frameworks and concepts that enable understanding of types of digital technologies and data-driven decision-making strengthening student’s position in building bridges from the notion that digital technology is both a technical and social artefact.

Digital technology can increase accessibility but can also create a larger gap within society, e.g. for people with lower digital literacy. Accessibility and quality of care effects of digital technology will be evaluated from the patient’s perspective considering an international scenario. The course will then discuss how digital technology affects the workflow and workload (e.g. automation of certain tasks and new treatment modalities) and its impact on the daily routine of medical staff including positive and negative aspects. The implementation of digital technology in healthcare brings about new possibilities related to increasing amounts of data (e.g. data-driven decision-making, Big Data, predictive models) but also challenges regarding data privacy, technical issues and accessibility. This module will discuss the potential of digital technology for research and commercial applications and also its challenges from technical (IT) and economical perspectives using practical cases (e.g. from the university or private companies) to give students a clear overview of the market. The foundation laid in module 2 ‘The multimodality of a digital society’ is further explored in modules 4 and 7; respectively, how via enactment digital technology can produce sense-making solutions in healthcare practices and how digital technology can disrupt the delivery of healthcare by jointly optimising social and technical features effectively.