Patient co-creation activities in healthcare service delivery at the micro level: The influence of online access to healthcare information

The healthcare sector has undergone a number of transformations in recent years, partly due to recent advances in technology. This triggered our study to examine patients' desire to seek health information largely driven by increased access via the Internet and the cumulative impacts on value co-creation. We employed a sequential exploratory design involving a phenomenological approach in the qualitative phase, followed by a quantitative survey design to further our understanding of the influence of technology in co-creating value in healthcare at the micro level. Advances in technology have empowered patients to be informed, which enabled them to play an active role in clinical encounters with the doctor. The findings suggest pre-encounter information search impacts positively on improved service engagement and commitment to compliance with medical instructions. It does this by shaping the nature of interactions; enhancing provider-patient orientation; and increasing their involvement in a shared decision-making process. From a theoretical perspective, our study integrates multiple research perspectives (e.g., access to information, online information seeking and knowledge creation, healthcare consultation models, etc.) and extends research on patient integration, participation, and co-creation of value. The conceptualization of value co-creation activities in this study suggests a need for service providers to adopt delivery approaches that would effectively integrate patient resources to co-create value.