The Generative Mechanisms of Healthcare Digitalization

Digitalization is considered key to meeting the challenges that face the healthcare sector. However, the results of digitalization initiatives have often been disappointing and the literature has provided a fragmented understanding of the mixed results. While previous studies have generally focused on the advantages and the barriers of adopting healthcare IS, little attention has been paid to unearthing the causal powers that generate IT-enabled transformations. The purpose of this research is to identify the generative mechanisms of digitalization in the healthcare sector. Specifically, the research seeks to answer the following research questions: What are the generative mechanisms of digitalization in healthcare? How can they explain varying degrees of digital transformation? We draw on Archer’s morphogenetic approach, which adopts a critical realist lens, to answer these questions. As such, one of the contributions of this paper is to demonstrate the usefulness of a Critical Realist ontology for developing insights into digitalization.