International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management (4 papers in press)

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  Quadruple helix collaboration for eHealth: a business relationship approach ( Free Full-text Access )

  by Maria Qvarfordt, Stefan Lagrosen, Lina Nilsson 
  Abstract: Collaboration between various stakeholders is crucial for healthcare digitalisation. As value is collaboratively created through interactions between several stakeholders, it may be fruitful to explore a quadruple helix (QH) setting involving the public sector, business, citizens, and academia in collaborative initiatives. Therefore, this study aimed to explore stakeholder views on eHealth collaboration from a QH perspective using the grounded theory methodology. First, an inductive qualitative study involving all stakeholders in the QH was conducted. The results were then related to the Actor-Resource-Activity (ARA) model of business relationship marketing. The results emphasise the role of considering diverse perspectives on collaboration as digitalisation and eHealth require teamwork to benefit the end users within various settings. A model depicting the various aspects of the ARA model related to digitalisation in a healthcare QH setting was presented.
  Keywords: quadruple helix perspective; collaboration; healthcare digitalisation; business relations; ARA model; global healthcare.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2024.10065055
   
  
• Narcissism and perceived stress among Italian hospital nurses during COVID-19: The moderator role of age.  
  by Simona Leonelli, Emanuele Primavera 
  Abstract: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the reorganisation and creation of new hospitals, shocking healthcare workers’ routines. This study investigates nurses’ stress perception in COVID-19 time and how some antecedents (i.e., narcissism and age) impact it. The paper focuses on two facets of narcissism, i.e., Leadership/Authority and Entitlement/Exploitativeness. We recruited 281 nurses who completed an online survey investigating their stress perception levels and personalities. Data are analysed using hierarchical linear modelling and simple slope analyses. Results show that Leadership/Authority negatively influences stress perception, while Entitlement/Exploitativeness positively influences it. Furthermore, nurses’ age moderates the above relationships. The study contributes to narcissism, stress and nursing literature, showing some positive facets of narcissism that might be useful for reducing stress perception and facilitating human relationships in the work environment, both in emergency and non-emergency contexts.
  Keywords: perceived stress; narcissism; Leadership/Authority; Entitlement; Exploitativeness; age; COVID-19.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2022.10053609
   
  
• At-home virtual workouts: embracing exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic  
  by Javier A. Sánchez-Torres, Francisco Javier Arroyo-Cañada, Ana Argila-Irurita, Luz Alexandra Montoya-Restrepo, Mohiyuddin Saleem Ahmed 
  Abstract: The objective of this study was to explore through the Model of Theory of Planned Behaviour the most important variables that influence the practice of physical and sports activity at home supported by virtual training in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-study was proposed between countries from three continents, distributing the questionnaire in Spain (Europe), Pakistan (Asia), and Colombia (South America) to ensure a comprehensive study. The methodology of structural equations using partial least squares was used. The empirical exploratory study supported the hypotheses proposed, with the most important result that confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor causing the practice of physical and sports activity at home. This is one of the first studies to examine sports practice at home and the new context of sports practice that has generated disruptive technologies and the global crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  Keywords: physical activity; sports; behaviour; homes; technology; COVID-19.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2024.10064245
   
  
• Exploring stakeholder interests in the health sector: a pre and post-digitalisation analysis from a developing country context  
  by Mansah Preko, Sheena Lovia Boateng 
  Abstract: Underpinned by the stakeholder and agency theories, this study adopts a qualitative approach to explore and analyse the various stakeholder interests and how they affect digitalisation in the health sector of a developing country (DC) context. The study's findings revealed that four key stakeholder interests - political, regulatory, leadership, and operational - affect digitalisation in the health sector of DCs. Further, the study found that operational and leadership interests were emergent and were triggered by some digitalisation initiatives, which included, inter alia, the use of new eHealth software and the COVID-19 vaccination exercise, which established new structures and worked better through digitalisation. Conversely, political and regulatory interests were found to be relatively enduring since they existed through the pre- and post-digitalisation eras. The study also unearthed principal-agent conflicts arising from technological, organisational, and regulatory factors that contribute to paradoxical outcomes of digitalisation in the health sector.
  Keywords: healthcare; digitalisation; stakeholder; stakeholder interest; eHealth; developing country.
  DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2024.10064587