Evaluating multiple perspectives of a connected health ecosystem

Connected Health is an emerging model of care that engages technology to improve patient care and (re)habilitation. It encourages self-efficacy by developing client-centred care pathways and evidence-based interventions to reduce the need for hospital-led care and empower patients in their homes. It also promotes improved ‘connectivity’ between healthcare stakeholders by means of timely sharing and presentation of accurate and pertinent information about patient status. Connected Health initiatives can achieve this through smarter use of data, devices, communication platforms and people. However, there are few efforts which have established an evaluation model to encapsulate and assess the value and potential impact of Connected Health solutions from multiple stakeholders’ perspectives. We examined information systems (IS) and health information systems (HIS) literature to identify whether a model could apply to Connected Health. However, many of the evaluation models are narrow in focus but have influenced our development of the Connected Health Evaluation Framework (CHEF). CHEF offers a generic approach which encapsulates a holistic view of a Connected Health evaluation process. It focuses on four key domains: enduser perception, business growth, quality management and healthcare practice.