Coproduction: when users define quality

Abstract

If the core aim of a healthcare system is to minimise both illness and treatment burden while reducing the costs of care delivery, then we must accept, however reluctantly, that our efforts are largely failing. Life expectancy in highly developed countries is declining for the first time in decades. Long-term conditions and obesity are replacing infectious diseases as the most prominent health problems in developing nations. Meanwhile, average per capita healthcare expenditures are increasing despite efforts to restrain them. For example, in the USA, the average per capita healthcare expenditures are approaching $10 000 a year and consuming over 18% of its gross domestic product. Innovations in biomedicine, information technology and healthcare delivery systems may help address some of the challenges, but instead of containing costs these innovations tend to expand services. There are indications that interest in a concept called coproduction in healthcare is increasing. The core thesis is that by leveraging professional and end user collaboration, patients can be supported to contribute more to the management of their own conditions. This is especially true when dealing with long-term conditions, where supporting the person to learn how best to reduce the burden of both illness and treatment is an undisputed good. The goal is to cocreate value. Ostrom,1 based on her seminal work as an economist, called this coproduction . The cocreation of value already lies at the heart of most service sectors. Shopping, banking and travel all enlist the end user to coproduce value in the delivery of services. Coproduction can be even more powerful where people form alliances to share resources and generate solutions, by using what Christensen et al 2 refer to as ‘facilitated networks’. Facilitated networks offer a powerful strategy that has been adopted by many organisations to increase access, and to improve quality while …