(Foundation for the Dissemination of Knowledge and Science "Cognitione" ; Wyższa Szkoła Biznesu - National Louis University, 2016) Trigo, Alexandre
This article provides an extensive literature review on the changing role of users
in innovation, with a particular focus on the healthcare sector. Users have been
specifically analyzed by many scholars worldwide due to their significant role as a
source of innovation beyond the traditional assumption which considers customers
as mere passive adopters of products and services. The increasing, but still scarce,
number of studies on this topic has demonstrated the benefits of patient involvement
and how a close and continuous relationship between patients and practitioners can
lead to permanent cycles of improvements and innovation in healthcare outcomes. In
addition to a user-centered approach, innovative patients are actively developing new
solutions for their own treatments, likewise for other patients with similar diseases.