Abstract
This paper aims to develop a theoretical framework based on recent service theories, such as service-dominant logic and service science, and on the concept of service ecosystems. The identification of the main elements of service ecosystems allows for pinpointing the main drivers for sustainable value co-creation, which is intended as the creation in the long run of new service solutions set up with and for end-users to guarantee a better service for the whole society. Given the high interactivity required in the relationship between players involved in digital health services, we decided to apply the developed framework to eHealth, to re-read the eHealth sector as a service ecosystem. The model is tested through a case study represented by digital healthcare in the Autonomous Province of Trento, which represents a best practice in this sector. The results confirm the presence of the main elements of the service ecosystem (actors, resource integration, technology, institutions) in the eHealth sector and show how their integration favours the creation of new resources, new uses of technology and new institutions that produce innovation and sustainable value co-creation. The originality of the work lies in the reconceptualization of the digital health sector from a new perspective based on the assumptions of service-dominant logic, that allow us to analyze the eHealth ecosystem in a holistic and system view.
Highlights
The transformative impact of new technologies on the health system has become increasingly concrete in recent decades
On the basis of the considerations made, the following research questions arise: RQ1: which elements make up a service ecosystem in the eHealth sector? RQ2: does the integration of such elements lead to the sustainable value co-creation in the eHealth ecosystem? To answer these RQs, we investigate the case of the Trentino digital health system, re-reading it as a service ecosystem
Recent service theories, S-D logic [8] and SSMED [5], foresee the adoption of a holistic vision of the process of service exchange and a systemic perspective, which led to the conceptualization of the ecosystem service, intended as the most appropriate business asset to favour the emergence of value
Summary
The transformative impact of new technologies on the health system has become increasingly concrete in recent decades. Continuous technology improvement allows users to release feedback that has an immediate impact on system design. In this way, quality data are obtained that can support healthcare professionals in defining more accurate and effective diagnosis. Based on a systems view, S-D logic defines businesses as networks of relationships [2], in which value is collaboratively created as a result of interaction between consumers and providers. In this theory, the importance of a social dimension and a multi-stakeholder vision is highlighted [3]. SSMED focuses on the role of technology, especially Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), considered the main levers that enhance resource integration and value co-creation [4]
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