Abstract:
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The concept of digital innovation has garnered significant attention
recently and has the potential to revolutionise industries. With the recent advancements in healthcare
and the emergence of new digital technologies, this manuscript reports the results of a systematic
literature review (SLR) aimed at identifying the opportunities that digital innovation can afford the
healthcare sector. These opportunities could guide policymakers and healthcare practitioners in making
informed decisions regarding the implementation of digital innovation in healthcare.
METHODS: This study conducted a systematic literature review (SLR) that involved defining the purpose
of the literature review, establishing inclusion and exclusion criteria, identifying data sources and search
strategies, screening and determining eligibility, and making inclusion/exclusion decisions. This study
also included quality assessment criteria to evaluate the selected publications. 1478 research papers
were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis to identify themes from the papers
included in the SLR.
RESULTS: The findings presented nine themes related to opportunities for digital innovation in
healthcare. The following themes were discussed: precision/personalised medicine/healthcare,
interoperability, privacy, and security, improved decision-making process, real-time/remote
monitoring, enabling new processes/services/products, training/education, knowledge
acquisition/sharing, and other themes that could not be categorised. These themes include cost,
effectiveness, and time management.
CONCLUSIONS: This study utilised thematic analysis to examine the themes that emerged from the
findings. These themes centred around the opportunities for digital innovation in healthcare. Awareness
about each opportunity for digital innovation in healthcare is discussed. This study discussed the
limitations of this SLR and future research opportunities for policymakers and healthcare practitioners
wanting to implement digital innovation in healthcare.
