Digitization And Co-Production Of Healthcare: Toward A Research Agenda

In public management and administration, co-creation, co-design and co-production of public services are a very significant trend, both theoretically and practically. These efforts aim at simultaneously improving service delivery and legitimacy. At the same time, digitization is extending in public services. Beyond using information technologies for production, public organizations are increasing their use of social media and other citizen- or service-oriented platforms, not to mention the burgeoning use of AI. The combination of these two trends – co-creation / co-design / co-production and digitization – is under-researched and poses important practical questions at policy, strategy and delivery levels. We outline a research agenda based on a combination of theoretical and conceptual discussion, a literature review and three case studies from the healthcare sector. The main paths for future research revolve around 1) challenges about engaging patients or citizens in designing e-health services, 2) the necessity to develop pluridisciplinary research and reach a common taxonomy, 3) patient empowerment, 4) the impact of digitization on healthcare practices and the relationship between patients and healthcare professionals, and 5) insufficient strategic and policy reflection about the impact of digitization.