Strengthening innovation capacity in health and care workforce: A role-based framework for the procurement professionals

IF 3.4 3区医学 Q1 HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES

Health Policy Pub Date : 2025-08-26 DOI:10.1016/j.healthpol.2025.105423

Klaas Stek, Luc Lefers, Carolina Belotti Pedroso

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Abstract

Background

The procurement function in the health and care workforce is pivotal for enabling innovation, sustainability, and value-based resource allocation. Yet, its workforce development remains underexplored in public health and health policy research.

Objective

To develop a role-based model of innovation procurement capacity in health and care, identifying emerging roles and associated competencies needed within complex public health systems.

Methods

We conducted 21 semi-structured interviews with procurement professionals from five European countries (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain). Guided by the Dynamic Capabilities framework, thematic analysis identified role-based patterns in innovation procurement. Competency profiles were mapped against the European Commission’s ProcurComp^EU framework.

Results

Six emerging roles were identified: Strategic Business Partner, Digital/Automation Expert, Innovation Matchmaker, Sustainability Coordinator, Data Engineer, and Innovation Coordinator. These roles signal a shift from generalist procurement functions to specialised, distributed innovation capacities. The analysis extends the ProcurComp^EU framework with sector-specific, innovation-oriented competencies.

Conclusions

Building procurement competencies in the health and care workforce is essential for harnessing innovation in service delivery. This study offers a framework for competency development and highlights the institutional conditions required for effective application. Innovation procurement demands differentiated roles and capabilities aligned with system-wide goals for resilience, digital transformation, and sustainability. The proposed role-based model serves as a practical roadmap for policymakers, public institutions, and training providers to professionalise the procurement workforce and position it as a strategic enabler of health and care transformation.

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加强卫生和保健工作人员的创新能力：采购专业人员基于角色的框架

背景卫生和保健工作人员的采购职能对于实现创新、可持续性和基于价值的资源分配至关重要。然而，在公共卫生和卫生政策研究中，其劳动力发展仍未得到充分探讨。目的建立基于角色的卫生和保健创新采购能力模型，确定复杂公共卫生系统中所需的新角色和相关能力。方法我们对来自5个欧洲国家（比利时、丹麦、德国、荷兰、西班牙）的采购专业人员进行了21次半结构化访谈。在动态能力框架的指导下，专题分析确定了创新采购中基于角色的模式。能力概况是根据欧洲委员会的ProcurCompEU框架绘制的。结果确定了六个新兴角色：战略业务合作伙伴、数字/自动化专家、创新媒人、可持续发展协调员、数据工程师和创新协调员。这些角色标志着从通才采购职能向专业化、分布式创新能力的转变。该分析将ProcurCompEU框架扩展为针对特定部门的创新能力。结论在卫生和保健工作人员中建立采购能力对于利用服务提供方面的创新至关重要。本研究提供了一个能力发展的框架，并强调了有效应用能力所需的制度条件。创新采购需要与弹性、数字化转型和可持续性的全系统目标相一致的差异化角色和能力。拟议的基于角色的模式为政策制定者、公共机构和培训提供者提供了一个实用的路线图，以使采购人员专业化，并将其定位为卫生和保健转型的战略推动者。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Health Policy 医学-卫生保健

CiteScore

6.40

自引率

6.10%

发文量

157

审稿时长

3-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Health Policy is intended to be a vehicle for the exploration and discussion of health policy and health system issues and is aimed in particular at enhancing communication between health policy and system researchers, legislators, decision-makers and professionals concerned with developing, implementing, and analysing health policy, health systems and health care reforms, primarily in high-income countries outside the U.S.A.