SNS Research Brief 57. Digital innovation platforms in healthcare: What we can learn from the Swedish Rheumatology Registry

Anna Essén, Assistant Professor at Stockholm School of Economics, House of Innovation

SNS Research Brief 2019.09.06
sns-research-brief-57.pdf 298.5 KB PDF

Currently, there is large focus on digitalization within the Swedish healthcare sector. This raise the question of what we can learn from earlier digital healthcare initiatives. The report summarizes research about the self-organized development and implementation of the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Registry (SRQ).

The SRQ is an example of a digital platform that has survived for more than two decades. Therefore, it constitutes a unique opportunity to learn from an early digital innovation process. In the report, the dissipative structures model is applied to the development of the register. The SRQ is treated as an example of a digital innovation platform and not a single system. A platform provides a common interface, functionality and data that the users can share in order to advance the development of different services. Therefore, the SRQ shows how digital platforms can serve as a common resource and promote a living health system.