How perspectives of e-health shape the future. A study into the future perspectives regarding the design and use of e-health for diabetes care

Abstract

This research explores the future perspectives regarding the design and use of e-health for diabetes care. This exploration is executed via qualitative research, in which data was collected in the diabetes centre of the St Jansdal hospital in Harderwijk. By applying a discourse analysis, future perspectives that were expressed in discourse and formed by discourse could be extracted from the data. Four central discursive themes were identified that transcended individual texts and guided communicative actions about future e-health provision. These central themes were: customised care, digitalisation, self-regulation, and future care provision. Based on these central themes, the interpretations of the participants regarding these central themes could be examined. This resulted in two evident discourse groups, referred to as the optimists and the moderate-optimists, for which interpretive schemes could be drawn up. From these interpretive schemes, two future perspectives regarding the design and use of e-health for diabetes care derived. These future perspectives both have similarities and differences on each of the four discursive central themes, based on the interpretive schemes. These similarities and differences will be exposed in this research, as well as the way they could contribute to the realisation of a future perspective.