Patient-centred e-health supports value cocreation and quality of medical care in Taiwan.

Abstract

Patient-centred e-health (PCEH) focusses on the interaction between patients and physicians. However, only a limited number of studies have focussed on the design of physician-patient value cocreation mechanisms in the PCEH context. Thus, we extend Grönroos' concept of value cocreation to understand how PCEH might improve the quality of care. This study proposes a theoretical framework to embody PCEH-supported value cocreation and presents some empirical validation. We expect that PCEH-supported value cocreation should comprise capabilities for patient empowerment, intention for information sharing, complementation for checking and verifying information, and interaction for shared understanding. This study surveyed a small group of patients that have used PCEH, 'My Health Bank' in Taiwan. The questionnaires were delivered to patients in hospitals (n=167 questionnaires, 98% response rate). Results indicate that certain PCEH-supported value cocreation mechanisms-capabilities for patient empowerment and interaction for shared understanding-affect the perceived quality of medical care. The survey only considered patient perceptions of value cocreation. This study shows the patient perception of value cocreation in patient-centred e-Health. Further research needs to validate the framework for health professionals and in other e-Health record information sharing settings.