Abstract
In health, as in any other industry, technology adoption, if used appropriately, is an important asset and a success factor for a company. Nowadays, it is no longer feasible to talk about health without addressing the role of technology. In this context, the present study aims to understand the impact and role of technologies in a hospital context (e.g., Hospital de Braga) and in the relationship management from an internal perspective (internal marketing). Based on a qualitative approach, the research also aims to analyze how internal communication is made between employees and between employees and managers in the Hospital of Braga. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with five employees of the health institution, and a focus group with eight employees as well (four nurses, one computer technician, one administrative, one operational assistant, and a technical/administrative assistant). The results show that this technology is successful, but there are still some points to point out. The results also provide some discontent regarding internal marketing.
TopIn a health organization, the use of IT is essential, and this is true both in the public and private sectors (Pollitt, 1993). With the advent of computers, devices have emerged, such as the computer, increasingly sophisticated, allowing greater speed in getting and using information (Barra et al., 2006). It is advocated in the OCDE Report (2010), “Improving Health Sector Efficiency: The Role of Information and Communication Technologies”, the use of ICT in the health sector. Its use helps to reduce operating costs and clinical services by improving tasks and the way they are performed, saving time with data processing, and reducing the need to deal with paper and other documents (OCDE, 2010). In the last few years, several information systems have been developed, implemented, and updated, currently, more than 60 IS are available in primary health care and hospital care. The objective is to improve the quality of health care provision and management, increase efficiency and technologically update health institutions, improving public services, with repercussions for citizens and health professionals (Ministry of Health, 2018).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Consumer Behavior: The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and all the activities associated with the purchase, use, and disposal of goods and services, including the consumer’s emotional, mental, and behavioral responses that precede or follow these activities.
Internal Marketing: Is the promotion of a company's objectives, products and services to employees within the organization. The purpose is to increase employee engagement with the company's goals and fostering brand advocacy.
Relationship Marketing: Relationship marketing corresponds to marketing work focused on the relationship with customers and suppliers.
Social media: Is the collective of online communications channels dedicated to community-based input, interaction, content-sharing, and collaboration (e.g., websites and applications, forums, microblogging, social networking, social bookmarking, social curation, and wikis are among the different types of social media).
Marketing Tools: The techniques and materials used by those who are involved in the promotion of goods and services.
E-Satisfaction: The contentment of a consumer concerning his or her prior purchasing experiences with a given retail-oriented website.