The impact of digital health technologies on the quality of service delivery: A pre and post assessment of the healthcare consumer's experiences in Ghana

Abstract

This study takes into account the pre and post experiences of the healthcare consumer in a developing country context regarding the use of digital technologies in receiving healthcare services. The study proposes a conceptual framework which suggests that the digitalization of healthcare services may present both tangible and intangible outcomes to the healthcare consumer. Underpinned by the SERVQUAL model, this study adopts a qualitative approach to explore the pre and post-digitalization experiences of healthcare consumers in Ghana. Findings reveal that seven out of the nine dimensions used in the study's assessment gave positive outcomes on the consumers' post-digitalization experiences, despite claims of the social inequalities that characterize developing countries (DCs) like Ghana. The study further reveals how the patient-centered eHealth concept which is gaining considerable attention in Information Systems (IS) healthcare research, has not been fully adopted in some DC contexts. This study presents both practical and theoretical implications for all relevant stakeholders within the healthcare ecosystem.