Definition of terms
Long-term care facilities
Long-term care facilities (LTC) provide both medical and personal support services to patients who are unable to live independently. The type of care that these facilities provide differs from short- term care to that administered for an extended period (typically 12 months or more) and does not have a defined outcome like treatment for an acute disease, illness, or injury. Long-term care facilities provide critical daily support to patients who might not have the resources or ability to care for themselves (Definitive Healthcare, 2024). Terms digitization, digitalisation, and digital transformation have become increasingly prevalent. These concepts encompass the adoption and integration of digital technologies to enhance business processes, models, and operations. Understanding the distinctions between digitization, digitalisation, and digital transformation strategy is crucial for businesses or organizations aiming to leverage these approaches effectively (Dieffenbacher, 2024).
Digitalisation
Digitalisation refers to the use of digital technologies in the context of the production and delivery of a product or service. Such digital technologies allow healthcare services to be organised, produced and delivered in new ways. Digitalisation is, therefore, less of a ‘technical’ process (like digitisation), it is also an organisational and cultural process (EXPH, 2018). Digitalisation in long-term care facilities involves using digital technologies to enhance healthcare processes and operations. For example, it could mean implementing electronic medication administration records (eMARs) to ensure accurate medication administration, using wearable health monitoring devices to track patient vitals, and utilizing telehealth solutions to provide remote consultations. Digitalisation aims to improve the efficiency and quality of care delivery while maintaining or enhancing patient outcomes.
Digital transformation
Digital transformation in long-term care facilities encompasses a broader change in how care is provided and managed. It involves rethinking the entire care delivery model by leveraging digital technologies. This might include implementing advanced analytics to predict health deterioration, integrating smart sensors for fall detection and prevention, adopting AI-powered tools for early disease diagnosis, and optimizing staffing and resource allocation through data-driven insights. Digital transformation in this context aims to revolutionize patient care, enhance patient and staff experiences, and optimize facility operations.
Digital maturity
Another common useful term is Digital maturity which describes the extent to which digital systems are leveraged for high-quality healthcare. Digital health maturity models are structured evaluations that allow healthcare organizations to document the current digital state and develop roadmaps for improving patient care, health outcomes and health equity. it can assist healthcare providers with their digital health strategy and monitor progress towards achieving organizational goals through digital change (Woods et al., 2022). Digital maturity is connected to the digital literacy of organisation and its employees. Under digital literacy we understand the ability to access, manage, understand, integrate, communicate, evaluate and create information safely and appropriately through digital technologies for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship. It includes competences that are variously referred to as computer literacy, ICT literacy, information literacy and media literacy (Law, Woo and Wong, 2018).