Opportunities and Challenges in Healthcare Information Systems Research: Caring for Patients with Chronic Conditions

To prepare for the 2030 baby-­boomer challenge, some governments have begun to implement healthcare reforms over the past two decades. These reforms have led to healthcare information systems (ISs) evolving into a major research field in our discipline. This research field has increasing individual, organizational, and economic impact. Because of the 2030 baby-­boomer challenge, the number of elderly individuals is increasing, and they may havechronic illnesses, such as eye problems and Alzheimers disease. The practical need for healthcare ISs supporting chronic care motivated us to conduct a literature synthesis and identify opportunities for healthcare IS research. Specifically, we present the chronic care model and analyze how academic discussions on healthcare ISs have been developed in our discipline to address the needs of patients with chronic illness. Further, we identify research gaps and discuss the research topics on healthcare ISs that can be extended and customized to support these patients. Our results stimulate and guide future research in the healthcare IS field. This paper has the potential to strengthen the body of knowledge on healthcare ISs.