Healthcare in the age of open innovation - A literature review.
BACKGROUND
In spite of an increased interest in open innovation and strategies that call for an increased collaboration between different healthcare actors, there is a lack of open innovation research in public contexts.


OBJECTIVE
This article presents the results of a review regarding the healthcare sector's engagement in open innovation as well as constraining factors and positive outcomes of open innovation in healthcare.


METHODS
The literature search focused on papers published in English between 2003 and 2014. Based on specified inclusion criteria, 18 articles were included.


RESULTS
Results reveal that most studies focus on inbound open innovation where external knowledge is integrated with the internal knowledge base at an initial phase of the innovation process. Innovation primarily results in products and services through innovation networks. We also identified constraining factors for open innovation in healthcare, including the complex organizations of healthcare, the need to establish routines for capturing knowledge from patients and clinicians, regulations and healthcare data laws as well as the positive outcome patient empowerment.


CONCLUSIONS
The healthcare sector's engagement in open innovation is limited, and it is necessary to perform further research with a focus on how open innovation can be managed in healthcare.
Jönköping International Business School, Sweden sofie.wass@ju.se.
Sofie
S
Wass
Jönköping International Business School, Sweden.|Department of Computer Science, Linköping University, Sweden.
Vivian
V
Vimarlund
D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D066275:Health Information Exchange; D012106:Research
diffusion of innovation; health information exchange; informatics; review literature as topic