Co-production in healthcare services: What we know, how we can evaluate it

Purpose The implementation of co-production in healthcare provision is not only spreading rapidly but also being increasingly appraised as a more sustainable model for the future. Despite this widespread acceptance, minimal consensus exists, however, on the co-production’s definition and on the mechanisms for evaluating the actual impacts of the implementation of co-production in healthcare. This study aims to define the current state of art of the healthcare service co-production research field with a specific focus on evaluation issues. Methodolody First of all, a quantitative bibliometric analysis, using Bibliometrix software (Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017), was carried. The reference database chosen is WoS and the inclusion criterion was “co-production AND heath* OR coproduction AND health*” in topic. As second stage, a qualitative content analysis based on PRISMA protocol is developed, focusing on those papers targeting evaluation issues. Results The bibliometric analysis shows an annual percentage growth rate of about 26% with the biggest increase in the last 5 years in number of publications. The co-citation analysis highlights two main intellectual areas: a public administration and management cluster and a service management cluster. Nonetheless, only few studies focus on the evaluation of outcomes. Among them, the content analysis has revealed a predominantly mono-dimensional and mono-stakeholder approach. Specifically, clinical, economic or psychological-social - mainly in terms of patient satisfaction – impacts are assessed. Practical implications The study offers the base to develop a systematic analytical framework for the evaluation of co-production of healthcare. Originality The study represents the first bibliometric analysis on co-production in healthcare.