Collaboration with users of innovative healthcare services – the role of service familiarity
by Carsten Schultz
International Journal of Services Technology and Management (IJSTM), Vol. 12, No. 3, 2009

Abstract: Many innovative services in healthcare and beyond involve highly complex processes and substantial technical components, leading to information deficits among users with regard to usability and benefits. Since service familiarity is a key determinant for active collaboration with business and end users within service production and innovation processes, the management of information deficits is a critical success factor for service innovations. On the basis of service and relationship marketing literature, the author investigated a sample of 349 patients and 81 physicians as users of a specific innovative healthcare service (telemonitoring), using multi-variate measurement models, partial least squares as a structural equation model as well as multi group comparisons in order to analyse differences between patients and physicians. The results underline the importance of informing the user about specific service characteristics. Remaining information deficits can be compensated for by quality surrogates like the provider's reputation. The customisation of services increases the user's motivation to be directly active. Reputation and customisation are similarly important for both patients and physicians.

Online publication date: Thu, 21-May-2009

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