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Abstract(s)
The health care industry has experienced a significant advancement in the usage of modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that has allowed the different health care stakeholders an increasing access to health information and enables them to take health care decisions on their own behalf. In this thesis we evaluate this increasing usage of modern communication means and networking opportunities in health care online communities and which effects it can have on user innovation.
The overall aim of this thesis is to present and analyze characteristics and determinants to the interested reader of Health Care Social Networks (HCSN) and their online communities and how they can be leveraged for user innovation purposes. In order to do so we analyze previous research conducted on user innovation and online communities and apply relevant findings and methodologies to user innovation behavior in health care. This includes an analysis and differentiation of user entrepreneurs from classic entrepreneurs, their drivers to innovate as well as process of innovation. We will find that HCSN especially support the user entrepreneur process with forms of online collaboration, feedback and reinforcement that can lead to higher individual or collective innovation outcomes. Additionally, we determine strategies HCSN currently apply or should follow in the future in order to further increase the attractiveness of the platform and the respective innovativeness of its users. In a last step of the analysis this thesis evaluates if and how intellectual property protection in health care communities should be practiced and presents the private-collective model developed by von Hippel and von Krogh.
The main findings of this thesis help to understand the relevance of Information and Communication Technologies in health care, which implications social networking and online collaboration on Health Care Social Networks have on user innovation and how they can be leveraged.