Communication and Its Impact on Patient Experience as a Cornerstone of the Digitalisation of Healthcare Business Processes: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Digital transformation (DT) has become increasingly prominent the healthcare scene, incorporating digital innovations into all healthcare processes in a new eHealth 4.0 model. In this paradigm, communication becomes a key process for making decisions and strengthening links with healthcare stakeholders. This study aims to explore the nature of scientific production and the relevance that academia assigns to both communication processes and the impact of DT on patient (user) experience in healthcare contexts. To this end, a scoping review of the scientific literature was conducted in Scopus using the PRISMA-ScR protocol, resulting in 163 records published between 2015 and October 2025, which were subsequently analysed with VOSviewer (version 1.6.20) to explore the results, enabling a bibliometric and thematic exploration of the most influential publications. The findings reveal a growing body of scientific output, with special emphasis on the organisational transformation derived from technological innovations, which contrasts with the limited interest of academia in communication approaches and in patient experience, as well as in the way trust and satisfaction are reconfiguring the relationships among the actors in the system. These results suggest the need to redesign business processes from a more human and empathetic perspective, linked in terms of equity to the 2030 Agenda, and to promote policies fostering digital, media and health literacy.

1. Introduction

The digitalisation of business processes in the healthcare sector is a cross-cutting phenomenon that has gathered increasing momentum over the past two decades through the incorporation of emerging technologies into clinical, administrative, and logistical management. However, beyond a purely technical approach, this transformation has, in recent years, entailed substantial changes in communication and in the relationships among the actors within the system and its various stakeholders. Consequently, this has influenced value creation and reshaped their experience and attitude when faced with health-related challenges (Konopik & Blunck, 2023).

Within a context of global information overload, combined with the widespread availability of applications that monitor health on a daily basis, the doctor–patient relationship has undergone a profound transformation, generating an excess of autonomy and information that prevents patients from distinguishing between useful and necessary content for their health care. These issues are addressed in theories of Health Communication (Mosquera, 2003; Skinner et al., 2006) and in their extension through the Digital Health Literacy model (Dunn & Hazzard, 2019; Yang et al., 2022; Dal Mas et al., 2023).

In response, healthcare organisations have become beacons of trust for citizens, necessitating the optimisation of information flows throughout all healthcare business processes. The latter must be refined and streamlined to improve service quality and increase the safety of the healthcare services provided.

To this end, the work draws on the academic literature on Business Process Management (BPM) (De Ramón Fernández et al., 2020) and Digital Transformation Theory (Westerman et al., 2011, 2014; Stoumpos et al., 2023).

Finally, to explain the phenomenon of focusing on the patient (user) experience, the research takes as a reference the theoretical bases related to studies on Patient-Centred Care (Li, 2021; Arjona Martín, 2022; Viitanen et al., 2022) and User-Centred Design and Participatory Design (Dicuonzo et al., 2023; Aldoseri et al., 2024).

The main objective of this work is to identify the evolution of academic research on the digitalisation of healthcare business processes from a global perspective that integrates organisational efficiency, communicative interaction, and user perception.

To achieve this, the following specific objectives (SO) are proposed:

SO1. To explore the nature of scientific production and its academic, geographical, and thematic areas of interest within the field of digital transformation and communication in the healthcare sector.

SO2. To examine the importance that academia attributes to communicative processes related to digital transformation and their impact on patient (user) experience within healthcare contexts.

Although there are a growing number of studies and reviews (Elia et al., 2024; Leivaditis & Sepetis, 2025; Hundal et al., 2025) on the digitisation of healthcare business processes, studies addressing communication as a strategic focus within business processes remain limited, despite its relevance in terms of patient information, patient trust and confidence, and its impact on treatment adherence. The existing literature tends to address these issues in a partial manner, often prioritising technical or organisational dimensions, while giving less attention to an integrated analysis of the role of communicative interaction in patient (user) experience and trust-building. In this context, a scoping review appears appropriate to systematise the evolution of research in this field, explore the increasing relevance of communication in digitalised healthcare processes, and identify potential conceptual gaps that may inform future lines of inquiry.

2. Theoretical Framework

2.1. Digitalisation and Business Processes in the Healthcare Field

The digital transformation (DT) of an organisation is far more than the mere automation of existing organisational practices (Elia et al., 2024). It extends not only to the implementation of digital technologies, but also to business strategy, leadership, the products offered, operations, corporate culture, human resources, and governance (Schumacher et al., 2016; Brown & Brown, 2019).

DT refers to a “fundamental change process, enabled by the innovative use of digital technologies accompanied by the strategic leverage of key resources and capabilities, aiming to radically improve an entity (organisation, business network, industry or society) and redefine its value proposition for its stakeholders” (Gong & Ribiere, 2021, p. 12). It is accompanied by digital initiatives and capabilities that can revolve around customer experience, operational business processes, employee experience, and business models (Westerman et al., 2011, 2014; Bonnet & Westerman, 2021).

This digital change process has intensified in the healthcare sector in recent years, driven, among other factors, by the demands imposed by COVID-19 (Lee et al., 2021; Van Poucke & Baran-Chong, 2021; Basile et al., 2023; Czerska, 2023). It has become an area of particular academic (Kraus et al., 2021; Kotzias et al., 2023; Lobonț et al., 2023; Hundal et al., 2025) and business interest (López-Martínez et al., 2020; Medina-Moreira et al., 2022; Dicuonzo et al., 2023). In fact, healthcare systems are increasingly required to employ digital technologies to provide innovative healthcare solutions and substantial improvements to medical issues (Stoumpos et al., 2023).

Consequently, technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) in diagnostics and treatments, blockchain for clinical data security, electronic health records (EHR), telehealth, m-Health applications, the Internet of Things (IoT), and wearable devices possess enormous transformative potential in this field (Akman Dömbekci et al., 2025), fostering a more personalised, precise, preventive, predictive, and participatory medicine—the so-called “5P medicine” (Moreno Vida, 2024, p. 345).

This phenomenon is having a notable impact on established practices, influencing all processes related to health (Kamble et al., 2019; Backholer et al., 2021; Lee et al., 2021). Methodologies such as Business Process Management (BPM) are increasingly applied not only to administrative processes—such as patient registration, clinical stock control, or procurement management—but also to clinical procedures directly impacting patient health (De Ramón Fernández et al., 2020).

However, this transformation, which promises greater efficiency and operational improvements in healthcare, must be integrated with transparency and trust, adhering to social sustainability criteria to avoid the well-documented gaps in accessibility, data protection, and high implementation costs (Leivaditis & Sepetis, 2025).

2.2. Digitalisation and Health

Although the digitalisation of healthcare contributes to improved health outcomes, it also generates new inequalities in access to and use of technology, giving rise to the concept of Digital Health Equity (DHE), particularly in areas such as telemedicine and eHealth (Backholer et al., 2021). Addressing this challenge requires a comprehensive vision that recognises the interdependence of social, technological, and organisational factors (Petretto et al., 2024), ensuring that all users have access to healthcare in the digital environment.

The United Nations Global Compact for achieving the 2030 Agenda calls, in its Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, for the need to “ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages” (United Nations, n.d.). As global challenges for healthcare systems continue to intensify, digital transformation emerges as an opportunity to address them. To this end, it is necessary to design sustainable business structures that effectively integrate eHealth technologies, bridging access gaps and paying particular attention to the needs of ageing populations and other vulnerable groups (Leivaditis & Sepetis, 2025).

This entails promoting digital health networks built on transparency, accessibility, and equity, fostering mechanisms for active public participation and investing in improved digital health literacy. In this regard, reference is made to the Spiral Technology Action Research (STAR) model by Skinner et al. (2006), developed to facilitate eHealth interventions. This model has evolved to emphasise continuous feedback in communicative processes through ongoing dialogue with users of technology-mediated systems to create value (Dal Mas et al., 2023) and ensure adequate health literacy.

Throughout its five cycles (Listen/Plan/Do/Study/Action), the model is applied to health promotion on social networks, considering communication as a two-way exchange of messages initiated spontaneously and organically by users. It includes mechanisms for real-time evaluation and correction. Version 4.0 of this eHealth model is currently being implemented within a volatile and turbulent global scenario, exacerbated by an environment of information overload and misinformation, which carries risks for collective health and has led to the emergence of new pathologies associated with digitalisation (Ostern et al., 2021; Arnold et al., 2023).

Emerging conditions such as cyberchondria, caused by excessive online searches for medical information, can lead to emotional distress or anxiety (Zheng et al., 2023). A new healthcare paradigm is therefore emerging—one that redefines the doctor–patient relationship, reconfiguring roles (Dimitrov, 2016) and compelling novel forms of cooperation among all the actors involved (Torres Valdés & Santa Soriano, 2014).

This new conception of the healthcare system demands a deep understanding of patients’ cultural and structural contexts, their socio-health circumstances, and, above all, greater consideration of audiences (Dal Mas et al., 2023) and their health perceptions (Mosquera, 2003). It fosters new interrelationships that blend scientific, technological, and communicative knowledge, where the “use of Information and Communication Technologies optimises these processes” (Rubio Martín & Rubio Martín, 2021, p. 5).

In this hyperconnected world—with self-managed medical records—the patient assumes a more active and informed role through data shared via the so-called Internet of Things (Dimitrov, 2016). By means of technological devices that provide access to medical histories or real-time vital signs (Kamble et al., 2019), patients become more aware of their health (Moreno Vida, 2024), and thus more accountable for it.

In this new model, the user is positioned at the centre of processes within the healthcare system, influencing the communication model (Arjona Martín, 2022; Stoumpos et al., 2023). Processes such as patient relationship management, patient experience management, patient engagement management, patient-centred marketing, message hyperpersonalisation, and the business-to-human (B2H) approach are being reshaped, supported by ML and AI (Czerska, 2023, p. 40). Hence, organisations must monitor trends constantly to adapt strategies to the expectations and demands of all stakeholders: clients, employees, partners, and shareholders alike (Lee et al., 2021).

2.3. Communication and Patient Experience

Communication is an act inherent to human nature (Schramm, 1982), which transforms within organisations to adapt to technological advances, placing information and knowledge at the core of all social exchanges (Castells, 2002). These communicative processes acquire particular significance in healthcare, as they directly impact people’s well-being and quality of life (Arnold et al., 2023).

Thus, digital transformation (DT) has radically redefined communication policies in healthcare settings, introducing new interaction channels with audiences and triggering an explosion of digital health content. Far from being a mere trend, omnichannel communication has become a strategic opportunity to enhance healthcare quality through greater interaction (Abadie et al., 2023).

This digital immersion extends from corporate platforms to the strategic use of social networks, where many healthcare professionals have been drawn to participate under the legitimacy and scientific credibility of the “white coat” (Medina-Aguerrebere & González-Pacanowski, 2012). These professionals have established themselves as key authoritative prescribers in the digital environment (Ibáñez-Hernández & Carretón-Ballester, 2025; Torres Valdés et al., 2025).

The full realisation of the transformative potential of digital health requires proactively addressing these tensions and establishing collaborative platforms among primary audiences (Leivaditis & Sepetis, 2025). Consequently, the responsibility for promoting coherent and transparent healthcare communication falls upon all parties involved in the communication process—particularly healthcare organisations and institutions—who must lead dissemination and understanding among diverse stakeholders (Costa-Sánchez & López-García, 2020; Konopik & Blunck, 2023).

The digital maturity of organisational communication departments, the interactive nature of the internet, and the capabilities provided by digital processes and channels have enabled more segmented and audience-specific communication, creating a positive impact in reputational terms (Cuenca-Fontbona et al., 2022).

However, patient interaction increasingly involves human relationships mediated by technology (patient portals, secure messaging, teleconsultations, bot-assisted services), which directly influence both employee engagement and well-being (internal audiences) (Cuenca & Verazzi, 2020), as well as patient satisfaction and adherence (external audiences) to treatments and healthcare programmes.

By facilitating informed decision-making, DT helps reduce costs and refine treatments (Basile et al., 2023), yet it also obliges organisations to synchronise internal information flows with information reaching consumers almost automatically. This ensures a coherent and seamless institutional discourse (Cuenca-Fontbona et al., 2022).

In their analysis of the recent academic literature on patient experience (PX) in digital healthcare settings, Viitanen et al. (2022) assert that the type and quality of the adopted digital solutions is as crucial as the healthcare process articulated around them (Dicuonzo et al., 2023; Aldoseri et al., 2024). Simultaneously, intrinsic elements of PX revolve around omnichannel communication, remote interaction, the management of risks and concerns inherent to telehealth, and patients’ attitudes towards this new care model (Abadie et al., 2023).

Therefore, if the goal is to improve efficiency, information management, interaction quality, and to strengthen trust between healthcare professionals and their various publics (Lee et al., 2021), user experience (UX) provides a strategic framework to optimise communication processes in digital environments, placing the user at the centre of design and evaluation from a holistic, human-centred, and interdisciplinary perspective (Arjona Martín, 2022; Viitanen et al., 2022).

3. Materials and Methods

In this study, a scoping literature review was conducted, following the parameters of the PRISMA protocol (Page et al., 2021), which comprises the following stages: Identification/Selection/Eligibility/Inclusion/Data extraction/Quality assessment/Synthesis and analysis of results.

To identify the most frequent search terms, an initial exploration was carried out of the scientific output related to the digital transformation of healthcare business processes and its consequences for patient communication, using terms such as “digital transformation,” “business processes,” “communication,” and “patient care” as the main subjects of study.

Scopus was selected as the data source, as it is the largest academic database (Schotten et al., 2017), indexing high-quality articles from various publishers and incorporating peer-review processes reinforced by an independent committee (Krüger et al., 2020).

Based on this initial review, conducted on 15 October 2025, an automated Boolean search was performed using the search string shown in Figure 1, yielding 505 raw records (N = 505).

Temporal filters were applied to cover the period from 2015, when the first article was identified, to 2025 (N = 464), and the search was limited to the following nine subject areas: Computer Science; Business, Management, and Accounting; Engineering; Medicine; Economics, Econometrics, and Finance; Social Sciences; Health Professions; Psychology; and Nursing (N = 430).

All scientific articles, conference papers, and book chapters were included, irrespective of language (N = 319).

Although PRISMA 2020 was used as a guide to develop the format and flow of the review process, as this is a scoping review whose primary objective is to map the subject of study, the authors did not register a review protocol. In line with scoping review methodology, no critical appraisal of individual sources of evidence was carried out; however, inclusion and exclusion criteria were defined a priori to minimise bias in the selection of studies, as suggested by Tricco et al. (2018) for the PRISMA-ScR extension.

The initially extracted results were subjected to a second review by two independent researchers, who conducted a qualitative analysis based on the title, abstract, and keywords, and, in cases of doubt, on the full text.

The following inclusion criteria were established:

• Studies on DT in other healthcare domains, such as the pharmaceutical industry, psychology, nursing, and related fields.
• Research on technological aspects when connected to communicative processes or to the user–patient experience, as well as the impact of AI or blockchain systems.
• References related to Human Resources (HR) were also considered, since public relations departments often manage internal communication within organisations.

All references addressing digital transformation in a general sense, referring to sectors other than healthcare, or not aligned with the study’s objectives were excluded.

To enhance transparency and replicability, key analytical concepts were operationalised through observable indicators and communication formats reported in the literature, which guided data extraction and thematic classification (

Table 1. Operationalisation of key analytical concepts.

Concept	Operational Definition	Communication-Related Indicators and Formats	Coding-Related Terms
Communication in digitalised healthcare processes	Organisational and relational practices through which healthcare institutions, professionals, and patients/users exchange information and construct meaning via digital channels embedded in healthcare processes	Communication channel and format (textual, audiovisual, interactive); directionality; degree of personalisation; accessibility and clarity of information; omnichannel strategies; coherence of institutional discourse; use of corporate	health communication, digital communication, strategic communication, patient–provider communication, omnichannel communication, digital marketing
Patient/user experience (PX/UX)	Patients’ and users’ perceptions of their interaction with digital healthcare services throughout the care process, including informational, relational, and experiential dimensions	Usability; satisfaction; trust; perceived quality of communicative interaction; user engagement; adherence; experience across patient portals, teleconsultations, and digital communication environments	patient experience (PX), user experience (UX), patient engagement, patient-centred care, patient satisfaction, trust, adherence

Source: Authors’ own elaboration.

). This process refined the sample to a total of 163 final records (N = 163).

Following recommendations for bibliometric analyses (Chen, 2017) and supported by scientometric and visualisation tools and indicators, the methodological framework for this stage of the study was completed.

The nature of scientific production (SO1) was analysed through the temporal evolution of publication volume and citations, the type of output, the most productive authors, and the countries with the highest concentration of contributions. These general results then formed the basis for a more detailed analysis using Microsoft Excel and VOSviewer, and were synthesised using a descriptive and narrative approach, supported by tables and figures.

Moreover, the VOSviewer software (Van Eck & Waltman, 2010) was employed to identify and visualise bibliometric networks based on co-occurrence indices of authorship and affiliation, author keywords, and countries concentrating the largest share of scientific output on the topic.

Finally, to uncover the most prominent trends (SO2) and complement the analysis, the 10 most cited references (with over 40 citations) were selected for full-text analysis. Their keywords were combined to generate a word cloud. This visualisation technique serves as an excellent exploratory tool that summarises and visually displays the frequency and significance of key terms within the analysed corpus, helping to identify patterns and relationships through graphic representations. It enables a quick and comprehensive understanding of large data volumes and reveals conceptual structures and trends within a specific knowledge domain (De Lucia Castillo et al., 2016).

4. Results

4.1. Scoping Review

The initial results of the scoping review show a steady increase in the number of scientific publications between 2015 and 2024 related to the research topic, with a clear upward trend beginning in 2019 (Figure 2). A slight decline in scientific output is observed in 2020, coinciding with the year of the pandemic (11 records), although production soon recovered, tripling in 2024 (35 records) before experiencing a sharp decline again in 2025.

Table 2. General report on the state of research.

Citation Report
Publications	163
Article citations	2060
Average citations per article	18.1

Source: Authors’ own elaboration.

presents an overview of the state of research in this field. The relatively small number of publications identified during the analysed period indicates that this remains an underexplored research area. The total number of citations reached 2060, with an average of 18.1 citations per article.

Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, the majority of the identified records belong to the “article” category, representing 55.2% of the total. The highest publication volume occurred in 2023 (18 records), marking the peak of the upward trend, followed by a slight decline in 2024 (17 documents), and again in 2025 (12 documents).

4.2. Co-Occurrence Analysis of Keywords

The recorded terms were grouped into five clusters, represented as bibliometric networks in Figure 4. This visualisation highlights both the prevalence of terms in the analysed studies, as well as the interrelationships among the identified concepts.

From the analysis of author keywords, several terms emerge that were used in the bibliographic search: “digital transformation,” “digitalisation,” “eHealth,” “business process,” “healthcare,” and “BPMN,” as well as others such as “artificial intelligence,” “business intelligence,” “business model,” “COVID-19,” “innovation,” “machine learning,” and “telemedicine.”

“Digital transformation” appears as the dominant node at the centre of the map, acting as an integrating hub between processes, data/AI, and clinical services.

These terms are grouped into five well-defined clusters, as shown in

Table 3. Co-occurrence clusters of author keywords.

Clusters	Terms
1	bpmn, business process, digitalisation
2	business intelligence, digital transformation, healthcare
3	COVID-19, innovation, telemedicine
4	business model, e-health
5	artificial intelligence, machine learning

Source: Authors’ own elaboration.

:

Cluster 1 groups terms related to business processes and models, as well as digitalisation. This cluster captures the digitalisation of business processes, where BPMN is used as a tool to model and document processes as a basis for simulation and/or workflow automation.

Cluster 2 includes the strongest emerging terms associated with the digital transformation of the healthcare sector, where business intelligence functions as a tool for transforming clinical and operational data into decisions.

Cluster 3 highlights COVID-19, telemedicine, and innovation as central concepts. This grouping shows how the pandemic acted as a catalyst, activating new working and relational processes based on innovation, which led telemedicine to emerge as a clinical practice technology capable of reconfiguring healthcare delivery.

Cluster 4 links eHealth and business models, showing how eHealth solutions contribute to defining new technology-based business models.

Cluster 5 connects artificial intelligence with machine learning, reaffirming their structural relationship, as ML is understood as the dominant technical subset within AI.

Thus, the map reveals a coherent ecosystem, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic and driven by technological innovation, in which digital transformation in healthcare is sustained by process standardisation, analytical capacity (business intelligence, artificial intelligence, and machine learning), and digital services supported by viable business models.

4.3. Analysis by Countries and Organisations

As shown in Figure 5, the majority of publications on healthcare business process digitalisation are concentrated in India (24), Italy (20), Germany (16), the United States (15), and the United Kingdom (13). Conversely, scientific output is low or negligible in regions such as Latin America and Africa.

4.4. Analysis of the Most Cited Articles

An analysis of the 10 most cited works reveals no significant interrelations among authors or affiliations. However, among the journals publishing these studies, Technovation appears three times and Sustainability twice, indicating that 50% of publications are concentrated in just two journals (

Table 4. Report on the ten most cited published works.

Author/Year	Records	Source Title	Citations
Stoumpos et al. (2023)	Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Technology Acceptance and Its Applications. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20043407	International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health	451
Aldoseri et al. (2024)	AI-Powered Innovation in Digital Transformation: Key Pillars and Industry Impact. DOI: 10.3390/su16051790	Sustainability (Switzerland)	135
Dicuonzo et al. (2023)	Healthcare system: Moving forward with artificial intelligence. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102510	Technovation	112
Dal Mas et al. (2023)	The challenges of digital transformation in healthcare: An interdisciplinary literature review, framework, and future research agenda. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102716	Technovation	103
Basile et al. (2023)	Business intelligence in the healthcare industry: The utilization of a data-driven approach to support clinical decision making. DOI: 10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102482	Technovation	100
Stadler et al. (2016)	Improving the Efficiency and Ease of Healthcare Analysis Through Use of Data Visualization Dashboards. DOI: 10.1089/big.2015.0059	Big Data	86
López-Martínez et al. (2020)	A Case Study for a Big Data and Machine Learning Platform to Improve Medical Decision Support in Population Health Management. DOI: 10.3390/a13040102	Algorithms	52
Abadie et al. (2023)	Interlinking organisational resources, AI adoption and omnichannel integration quality in Ghana’s healthcare supply chain. DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113866	Journal of Business Research	48
Lee et al. (2021)	Digital Transformation and the New Normal in China: How Can Enterprises Use Digital Technologies to Respond to COVID-19? DOI: 10.3390/su131810195	Sustainability (Switzerland)	46
Backholer et al. (2021)	Australia in 2030: what is our path to health for all? DOI: 10.5694/mja2.51020	Medical Journal of Australia	45

Source: Authors’ own elaboration.

).

To better illustrate the academic focus, the ten most cited works are summarised below, with brief qualitative analyses according to this study’s objectives and their respective research techniques:

• Digital Transformation in Healthcare: Technology Acceptance and Its Applications.

A scoping review analysing the changes in healthcare brought about by digital transformation within organisations. It identifies five key themes—information technologies, educational impact, acceptance, telemedicine, and security—that define this new patient-centred era of healthcare.

2.

AI-Powered Innovation in Digital Transformation: Key Pillars and Industry Impact.

A theoretical/conceptual study that analyses, from a holistic perspective, the pillars of AI-driven innovation within DT, promoting sustained growth and operational excellence, including in healthcare. It explores how AI enables monitoring and continuous learning through data analytics and predictive studies to improve the human experience and optimise decision-making.

3.

Healthcare System: Moving Forward with Artificial Intelligence.

A case study investigating how AI can contribute to effective and efficient healthcare management. It concludes that to obtain the expected benefits (resource optimisation, enhanced experience, and cost reduction), hospitals require a business transformation grounded in a better understanding of technology.

4.

The Challenges of Digital Transformation in Healthcare: An Interdisciplinary Literature Review, Framework, and Future Research Agenda.

A literature review addressing the current state of healthcare digital transformation, identifying how COVID-19 accelerated technology adoption, and outlining three promising research areas: digital services, stakeholder participation, and value creation through digital transformation.

5.

Business Intelligence in the Healthcare Industry: The Utilisation of a Data-Driven Approach to Support Clinical Decision-Making.

This study addresses the gap in using Business Intelligence (BI) for healthcare process management, developing a data-driven Decision Support System (DSS) for women with breast cancer (BRCA mutation). It concludes that data-based DSS models outperform experience-based ones by improving treatment decisions and providing more accurate cost estimates, thereby enabling more efficient resource management.

6.

Improving the Efficiency and Ease of Healthcare Analysis Through the Use of Data Visualisation Dashboards.

This paper examines how digitalised medical records (EHRs) present the challenge of transforming large data volumes into efficient analyses for improving hospital care quality. It proposes the creation of dashboards using standardised visualisation methodologies to evaluate critical metrics, automating processes and achieving time savings and operational efficiency improvements.

7.

A Case Study for a Big Data and Machine Learning Platform to Improve Medical Decision Support in Population Health Management.

A case study describing the design of a Big Data and Machine Learning analytical platform for advanced population health management. By integrating heterogeneous clinical and operational data (EHR, HIS, RIS, LIS) and applying advanced algorithms, the platform enhances decision support, optimises clinical operations, and reduces healthcare costs.

8.

Interlinking Organisational Resources, AI Adoption, and Omnichannel Integration Quality in Ghana’s Healthcare Supply Chain.

This study explores the quality of omnichannel integration (OIQ) in the healthcare sector, driven by digitalisation and AI adoption. Using a socio-technical systems approach, it models relationships between organisational resources, employees, AI, OIQ, and performance. A survey of 170 healthcare professionals in Ghana supports the model, highlighting the need for employee–technology interface capabilities to improve user experience and organisational management.

9.

Digital Transformation and the New Normal in China: How Can Enterprises Use Digital Technologies to Respond to COVID-19?

This research addresses the crucial role of digital technologies in corporate responses to the COVID-19 crisis and the transition towards the “new normal.” Using a path analysis (“as-is/to-be”) based on Chinese enterprise case studies, it identifies six key business strategies guiding organisational transformation, restructuring, and the use of technology to overcome post-pandemic challenges.

10.

Australia in 2030: What Is Our Path to Health for All?

This monograph offers a multidimensional vision of the determinants of health in Australia toward 2030. It proposes a roadmap prioritising human health over commercial interests, promoting planetary health equity, indigenous knowledge, ecological economics, and co-benefits. Within this Fourth Industrial Revolution paradigm—marked by the exponential impact of digital technologies (AI, robotics, and IoT) on health—it argues for a proactive, equitable, and ethical response that upholds the right to global health and fosters civic participation.

From the keywords of these ten articles, a word cloud (Figure 6) was generated, revealing that “digital,” “healthcare,” “intelligence,” and “transformation” are the most prominent terms. The concurrent appearance of “business” underscores the growing interest in and trend towards digital transformation associated with the healthcare business domain.

5. Discussion

The analysis of the academic literature indicates that COVID-19 accelerated the digital transformation of business processes within the healthcare sector, with the goal of providing better patient experiences (Li, 2021). This has led to a profound transformation in the management of communication and patient relationships (Lee et al., 2021; Van Poucke & Baran-Chong, 2021; Basile et al., 2023; Czerska, 2023).

5.1. Implications for Policy and Practice

However, based on the findings obtained, from 2020 onwards, academic production does not fully align with this trend. The results reveal limited academic interest in communicative approaches, as reflected in the analysis of keywords. This may correspond to Herrera Aguilar’s (2010) theory, which suggests that communication is regarded more as an integrative knowledge domain—a necessary epistemological paradigm for process management (Karam-Cárdenas, 2007)—rather than as a standalone academic discipline within scientific fields such as healthcare.

At a practical level, the fact that “communication” appears as an underrepresented term in the scientific literature—likely due to its transversal nature and the previously mentioned conceptual dispersion (Ibáñez-Hernández et al., 2023)—poses a risk to institutional coherence. Organisations must understand omnichannel communication not as a trend, but as an indispensable strategic interaction tool for enhancing the quality of care (Abadie et al., 2023). However, this cannot be achieved without a solid theoretical foundation that unifies concepts, nor until communication is understood as a strategic axis rather than something that simply occurs and is assumed to be inherent to the system. As long as organisations fail to professionalise and properly address these processes, they run the risk of issuing fragmented messages that dilute trust and credibility in healthcare professionals (Medina-Aguerrebere & González-Pacanowski, 2012; Ibáñez-Hernández & Carretón-Ballester, 2025). Consequently, healthcare practice must articulate genuine collaborative platforms among all stakeholders (Torres Valdés et al., 2025), that is, effective communication tools that go beyond technological mediation through transparent and continuous dialogue with their publics (Costa-Sánchez & López-García, 2020; Dal Mas et al., 2023), ensuring that digital innovation is not only functional but also socially sustainable (Leivaditis & Sepetis, 2025).

On the other hand, the limited or non-existent scientific production in emerging geographical areas suggests that digital transformation (DT) is not a homogeneous process across territories and demonstrates that technology, in itself, does not guarantee equity. This transition requires investment not only in infrastructure, but also in the governance of digital health networks that foster active participation and reduce exclusion gaps, in line with the principles of social sustainability advocated by Leivaditis and Sepetis (2025). However, in order to genuinely fulfil SDG 3—“Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages”—health policies must move beyond technical digitalisation and adopt the Spiral Technology Action Research (STAR) model proposed by the WHO (2021) and originally designed by Skinner et al. (2006). This model entails essential feedback loops so that health literacy becomes a dynamic process rather than merely an aesthetic goal.

Despite recommendations from health models promoting eHealth, patients are still not positioned at the centre of research. This highlights the need for institutions to address the identified access frictions (Backholer et al., 2021; Petretto et al., 2024) and to move towards a Business-to-Human (B2H) approach by opting for hyper-personalised messaging, with the aim of genuinely placing the patient at the centre of the healthcare system (Czerska, 2023).

Once again, effective, integrated, systematic, and omnichannel communication emerges as the essential component to positively influence the various stakeholder groups (Abadie et al., 2023), enhancing not only organisational performance but also patient experience by fostering knowledge dissemination and exchange among healthcare actors.

According to Ostern et al. (2021), placing the patient at the centre could add value to healthcare organisations, demonstrating effectiveness in addressing isolated problems affecting both patients and service providers. While it is legitimate to analyse benefits in terms of productivity and organisational efficiency, it is through communicative processes that the greatest positive outcomes for all stakeholders can be observed.

Research on technological infrastructures and health information systems—which, through digitalisation, contribute to more accurate diagnoses—should also incorporate considerations of patient well-being and the overall user experience.

5.2. Limited Scope and Future Research Avenues

Among the main limitations of this research are those inherent to the analysed database and to the scoping review methodology itself. Future studies could validate these findings by replicating the search across different multidisciplinary academic databases, such as Web of Science or SciELO, as well as specialised medical databases, such as PubMed or CINAHL, or by applying comparative or empirical research methodologies.

These results reveal asymmetries, trends, and gaps in scientific production that could pave the way for future research focused on analysing different healthcare systems, identifying the most common communication models, strategies, and techniques, and comparing them across different geographical areas.

This research also lays the groundwork for a more in-depth examination of actors and audiences, focusing on the perception of the digital patient (user), their levels of trust, adherence, and satisfaction, as well as communication barriers, digital divides, and social needs that may limit the use of eHealth tools.

6. Conclusions

The findings of this review confirm the growing academic interest in the digitalisation of healthcare business processes, alongside a sustained increase in scientific output over the past decade. This body of research is organised around three analytical dimensions—organisational efficiency, communicative interaction, and patient (user) perception—although these are addressed unevenly. Most studies adopt a technical–organisational perspective focused on profitability and process optimisation, prioritising efficiency, automation, benchmarking, and cost–benefit analysis. By contrast, communicative interaction and patient (user) experience, which are central to the humanisation of healthcare organisations, remain comparatively underexplored.

With regard to the description of academic research on digital transformation in healthcare (SO1), the main thematic areas and geographical patterns can be identified. The literature predominantly addresses process digitalisation, business intelligence, and care models based on eHealth, telemedicine, and artificial intelligence, with a notable intensification following the COVID-19 pandemic. This acceleration reflects demands for innovation, efficiency, and system sustainability, pointing to the emergence of digital healthcare ecosystems in which patient (user)–system interaction is being redefined. However, this evolution also raises challenges related to personalised communication, empathetic automation, and assisted decision-making in digitally mediated care environments.

At the editorial level, the expansion of digital health research within sustainability-oriented journals represents an important opportunity to explore digital health divides in connection with the 2030 Agenda, especially Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. Nevertheless, the results reveal a clear Eurocentric and Anglo-Saxon bias in the study of communicative phenomena within healthcare digitalisation. Further research is needed to explain the limited presence of studies from regions such as Africa and Latin America through comparative and context-sensitive approaches.

In line with SO2, the findings highlight the limited relevance that academic research assigns to communicative processes and the impact of digital transformation on patient (user) experience in healthcare settings. This gap underscores the need for greater convergence between digitalisation initiatives and communicative redesign in organisational processes. From a patient-centred care perspective, further research is required on perception, satisfaction, digital adherence, and patient journey mapping.

Ultimately, this research suggests that the success of digital health lies not so much in technical sophistication as it does in the system’s capacity to bridge technology, ethics, and the human element. The study argues that digital transformation only reaches its full potential when analysed from an integrated, patient-centred perspective that aligns organisational stability with transparent and accountable communication. To advance towards this goal, three guiding principles are proposed for both academic discussion and practical management:

• Communication as a strategic pillar, not a side thought. To prevent the organization from becoming a series of disconnected silos and to strengthen its engagement with its public, communication must overcome its current conceptual fragmentation. This requires understanding communication and stakeholder relations as structural components of process design, focusing on the experience of both internal users (employees/shareholders) and, above all, external users (clients/patients/providers). It needs to become the backbone that provides ethical and operational consistency to the digital shift. This is precisely what builds legitimacy with patients and reinforces corporate reputation.
• Corporate governance focused on health equity. Digital literacy should not be seen as a mere technical choice or an individual’s responsibility; it is a fundamental political duty that would guarantee not only organisational efficiency but also its long-term survival in an increasingly digitalised environment. This requires constant attention from all stakeholders to prevent economic, cultural, social or geographical implementation gaps from translating into new forms of social exclusion.
• Leadership of healthcare professionals in the fight against misinformation. The scientific authority of healthcare providers is the ultimate defense against the infodemic of the digital age. By acting as trusted guides, professionals can turn cold technological mediation into a genuine, human dialogue. This not only improves the quality of care and the patient experience but also creates tangible value for public health at large.

Finally, digital transformation in healthcare should be understood not only as a technological endeavour, but also as a relational and communicative process, since the absence of this perspective limits its capacity to generate trust, legitimacy, and social value.