Research on the path of high-quality development of the smart health and aging care industry driven by digital economy— dynamic QCA analysis based on TOE framework
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22067151 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Xinhua Tan (0000-0002-7383-3324, Central China Normal University), Xiaobing Shu (Central China Normal University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Pages | 1661333-1661333 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-02 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fpubh.2026.1661333 |
| PMID | 41846845 |
| OpenAlex | W7133194995 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 51 |
Introduction: The digital economy has become a important driver for the high-quality development of industry. Exploring its impact on and pathways for enhancing the smart health and aging care industry holds significant practical importance. Methods: Leveraging the theoretical underpinnings of TOE framework and configuration analysis, this research utilizes dynamic Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to examine provincial-level panel data from China between 2012-2022, investigating how the digital economy's configuration effects evolve over time. Results: The digital economy drives the high-quality development of the smart health and aging care industry through five pathways, which can be divided into three classes: digitally technology-driven, dual-core "digital technology-digital environment" driven, and digitally environment-led. Low-quality development patterns follow three pathways, which can be summarized into two types: "digital technology-digital environment" constrained and "digital technology-digital organization-digital environment" multi-dimensional constrained. Multi-period comparative analysis reveals multiple trajectory evolution phenomena in the digital economy's drive toward high-quality development of the smart health and aging industry. Among these, the digital technology-driven and dual-core "digital technology-digital environment" models represent dominant trajectories, while the digital environment-led model constitutes a turning-point trajectory. Discussion: The digital economy drives the high-quality development of the smart health and aging care industry through multiple pathways and evolutionary trajectories, with the three elements-digital technology, digital environment, and digital organization, functioning synergistically. This research provides theoretical references and practical insights for understanding how the digital economy era propels the high-quality development of the smart health and aging care industry
Digital data · Digital economy · Digital health · Digital transformation · Health care · Trajectory · Advanced Technologies in Various Fields · Digital Transformation in Industry · Qualitative Comparative Analysis Research
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |