Table 1.

Results of a literature search, by investment and distance to a care process, for expert opinion on relevance (quality, efficiency and sustainability of hospital care)

	Size of investments
	Large investments in time, money and human capital strategic	Medium investments	Small investments in time, money and human capital, strategic
Large distance to patient care(concerning hospital and its surroundings financial functions, analytics (not patient level))	• Beacon community program to improve nation’s health care	• (2) Infection control knowledge management	• (1) Full-text search engine for using narrative data in electronic health records
		• (2) Antiviral information management system
	• (2) National-level connectivity Electronic Patient File (EPF)	• Biased sample hospital-based area disease estimation
		• Electronic systems to collect client-level vaccination data	• Performance improvement systems
			• (3) Performance management systems
			• Visual diagrammatic language techniques to analyze work processes
			• Electronic logistics information systems
			• (2) Programming model to support operating room planning
			• Administrative IT
Medium distance to patient care(concerning the professional and the hospital organization)	• (3) Interorganisational Electronic Health Record (Regional)	• eReferrals to specialists	• (1) Electronic prescriptions
		• Internet and electronic data mining in pathology	• PDAs
	• Picture archiving and communication system	• Communication systems in radiology	• (1) Blackberry as a clinical communication tool
	• Emergency medicine information systems	• Electronic medical record system of outpatient workflow	• Voice recognition dictation
	• (1) Clinical information systems (e.g., in radiology)	• Identification device technology to analyze work processes	• (2) Web-based distance learning
	• (2) Patient data management system	• Computerized display of laboratory and radiology results	• Computerized ordering systems
	• (2) Electronic patient records (third generation; registration and structured documentation, clinical support), within one institution	• Systems to analyze patient waiting and progress	• (3) Tablet as a clinical information tool
		• Ambulatory referral management system (management of patient routes)	• (2) Computerized clinical decision support by desktop/laptop
			• (1) Inter-colleague consultation
		• Indoor positioning
		• Remote-controlled transfusion management
		• Automated medication-use process for prescribing and dispensing medication (including computerized prescriber order entry)
		• Electronic discharge systems
		• (3) Bar code medication administration technology
		• Computerized physician order entry for prescribing medication and recording medication administration
		• (2) Electronic health records within hospital
Small distance to patient care(concerning interaction between the patient and care professional)	• (1) Planning software surgery	• (1) Remote patient management	• (4) Virtual consultations
	• (2) Computer-assisted surgery, using a robot	• (3) Telenursing (application of Telecare)	• (2)Voice link between elderly and caregivers (part of assisted living facility)
	• (1) Three-dimensional ultrasonography	• (4) Telepathology (application of Telecare)
		• (3) Teleradiology (application of Telecare)	• (2) Patient safety alert system
		• (1) Smart Health Communities	• (1) Computerized clinical decision support by app on a PDA
		• (5) Self-testing and online automated management	• (2) E-triage
		• (1) Telemonitoring of heart failure (application of Telecare)
		• Virtual microscopy system
		• (1) Digital imaging
		• (5) Portal by hospital for appointments and reminders
		• (4) Portal by hospital for online consulting (mail, tweet, chat)
		• (4) Portal by hospital for peer-group-contact patients