Application of information and communication technology for maintenance support information services: Transferring experiences from an eHealth solution in Sweden

The purpose of this paper is to explore the transferability of ICT‐solutions for providing support information services from eHealth to eMaintenance.

The applied research approach takes the form of a single‐case study supported by a literature study. Empirical data were collected through documents, observations and interviews. The conclusions of the study were verified by key informants.

The study indicates some major problems that have to be overcome when implementing support information services using an ICT‐solution (e.g. to manage heterogeneous organizations; manage heterogeneous eService‐environments; and enable context and situation awareness in eServices). Further, the study has identified and graded some solutions, which address these problems and are transferable from eHealth to eMaintenance.

The studied case is in the forefront of eHealth solutions and can therefore act as a guidance for those involved at different stages of eHealth implementation. At the same time, eHealth is an application domain with stringent safety and security requirements, which makes the findings valuable for persons involved in support information services related to complex and critical technical systems, e.g. aircraft systems.

The paper reports on experiences from an actual eHealth solution and not just about the concept of eHealth. Hence, it has implications for both practitioners and researchers.