Elena Bellio

The adoption of "silver" e-Health technologies: first hints on technology acceptance factors for elderly in Italy

Our study aims to reveal the factors (and their antecedents) affecting the adoption of technologies for health by senior citizen. In order to achieve a greater generalizability, our model is tested in relation to 4 types of technologies and in different cultural settings. Our research was developed according with a revised TAM model for silver citizens, where most of the variables are derived from an extensive literature review. Primary data were collected in a sample of Italian senior citizens and a Structural Equation Model was built and tested in order to analyze technology adoption in the aged population. Both external variables and social norms were found to be highly effective in explaining perceptions on technologies and adoption strategies.

Technology innovation in healthcare and changing patient’s behaviors: new challenges for marketing

The authors aim to determine the role of an innovative healthcare marketing approach, emerging within the context of recent health technological developments and in the light of a new patient profile. In the first section of the paper, academic literature allows reaching a full understanding of recent innovations in the healthcare industry and of the new expectations arising in today’s patients. On one side, health information technology (HIT) mainly focuses on enhancing life expectancy and on improving diagnostic and treatment options, both in an efficient and cost effective way. On the other, today’s patients are willing to accept HIT applications and switch to new and unconventional service delivery solutions in order to get a better care experience and a deeper involvement in the care process. In the second section, results of an empirical research based on primary data provide evidence of patients’ emerging value drivers. Our aim is to present a critical discussion on how a marketing-based approach could lead to better results, from both the patient’s and healthcare provider’s point of view. As a consequence, a major reengineering of healthcare services is required and must be driven by a new healthcare marketing approach.

Digital Cities Web Marketing Strategies in Italy: The Path Towards Citizen Empowerment

The concept of ‘digital city’ has been introduced as a strategic way of designing a city by highlighting, in particular, the importance of Information and Communication Technologies. Nowadays the performance of our cities depends only in small part on its infrastructure, as an increasing importance is given to the availability, quality and delivery of public services. In this context, citizens have new expectations based on involvement, collaboration and participation. The aim in managing a city becomes making citizens actors in the decision making process creating engagement and involvement, providing ways of direct relationships with politicians and civil servants.

Twitter and politics: Evidence from the US presidential elections 2016

ABSTRACT Social media’s influence in the 2016 US presidential election has been stronger than it has ever been before and has led to a loss of ‘dominance’ of traditional media on public opinion. Candidates tweeted to express their positions, to attack each other, to retweet endorsements, to encourage people to vote, to give news previews, and a lot more. As a result, Twitter has become the most important communication channel for both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The more candidates used Twitter to broadcast their thoughts, the more people retweeted them spreading their messages and journalists mentioned tweets in their election coverage creating a virtuous circle that brought more and more attention to the micro-blogging platform. This article analyzes the tweets of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in order to understand the communication strategies performed through this media.

Smart Technology for a Smarter Patient: Sketching the Patient 2.0 Profile

Patients’ behaviors are changing over time as effect of the Health 2.0 phenomenon that entails the integration of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in healthcare. A new patient profile with growing expectations is emerging in today’s healthcare world. In this scenario patient satisfaction has to be pursued through disruptive marketing strategies: healthcare providers are required to establish closer relationships with patients by leveraging both physical, experiential and technological service elements. Both qualitative and quantitative analysis were performed on a random sample of 2808 people divided into three groups: 737 outpatients and 861 inpatients of Niguarda Ca’ Granda Hospital (Milan, Italy) and 1210 citizens reached through an online survey while browsing the hospital webpage between January and April 2014. Descriptive statistics and bivariate analysis were carried out. Beta coefficients were calculated to investigate the emerging patient satisfaction drivers. New healthcare guidelines were depicted in order to match patient 2.0 requirements.