Background: This research is situated within the domain of strategic marketing management, with a specific focus on Electronic Customer Relationship Management (e-CRM) in the healthcare sector. In the digital era, e-CRM has emerged as a pivotal tool for enhancing service quality and realizing patient-centricity within health systems. However, the implementation of these systems, particularly in the Iranian context, is confronted with substantial challenges, with international studies reporting failure rates ranging from 20% to 70% (Demand Sage, 2025). This is predominantly attributed to the adoption of imported models that exhibit a lack of contextual fit with the indigenous cultural, structural, and technological landscape. These recurrent failures underscore the critical necessity for developing a comprehensive, context-grounded model to guide managers and policymakers.
Aim: The primary objective of this study is to develop a comprehensive paradigmatic model, based on Grounded Theory, for the effective implementation of e-CRM within the Iranian healthcare sector. The research seeks to identify the causal, contextual, and intervening conditions, as well as the key strategies and their resultant consequences, as derived from the lived experiences of experts and specialists in this field.
Methodology: This study employed a qualitative approach utilizing the Grounded Theory methodology, specifically the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin. Data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 13 managers and experts from the healthcare and information technology sectors, selected via purposeful and theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data analysis was conducted through a three-stage process of open, axial, and selective coding. The trustworthiness of the findings was established using the four criteria of Lincoln and Guba: credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability.
Findings: Data analysis led to t