Digital Transformation in Health Care

Abstract The health care industry is lagging behind other industries when it comes to digital transformation, a longitudinal process of fundamental changes that involves the production, generation, aggregation, and application of data through a multitude of technical means which affects both organizations and society at large. While health care might benefit from digitization, the observed lag and varieties of outcomes can be explained by the industry’s unique characteristics—a high level of institutionalization, significant historically rooted differences between countries, and a central role played by medical professionals and their practices. The cases of Ghana, China, and Europe are used to illustrate the different manifestations and challenges of digital transformation in health care across interconnected levels of analysis. Taken together, these examples show that if the transformation of professional practices is successful, more fundamental changes can be expected.