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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
The health care industry has experienced a proliferation of innovations aimed
at enhancing life expectancy, quality of life, diagnostic and treatment options. Previous
research has shown that users themselves innovate with respect to services they selfprovide.
In this study, we look at sources of health care innovations, in particular the
role of users in the development of those innovations. We build our study upon
previous work by Oliveira, von Hippel and DeMonaco (2011) and Oliveira (2012) and
will empirically explore the role of patients and their families and friends (i.e. users) in
developing new medical treatments and devices for themselves. We focus on chronic
diseases, including respiratory diseases (Cystic Fibrosis, Asthma and Sleep Apnea),
Cancer, Diabetes and medical devices and treatment for general purposes. For each of
these chronic diseases we developed a sample of treatments and devices and show
that patients with those diseases (or their families and friends) have developed a
significant proportion of treatments and devices. Despite some sampling limitations
we found that the majority (54%) of new medical treatment and devices for those
diseases were developed by patients or their families and friends. Moreover, 53% of
such patients who are user innovators have become entrepreneurs and created their
own firms to produce their inventions.
Our empirical findings have important policy and managerial implications for
health care management and entrepreneurship.
Description
Keywords
User innovation Health-care innovation Treatments and medical devices User entrepreneurship