Collaboration in open innovation health initiatives: Working towards a sustainable healthcare system

Open innovation initiatives in the health sector are considered spaces that can fuel systemic change. However, it is not clear yet how these initiatives contribute to the transition to a sustainable healthcare system. This research explores how actors in open innovation health initiatives contribute to a sustainable transition in healthcare by implementing the Quadruple Aim. The Quadruple Aim is a practical framework that helps organizations to innovate in healthcare. It consists of four aims: improving the health of the population, improving the work-life of care providers, enhancing patients’ experience and reducing health cost. Sixteen interviews with professionals from different backgrounds working in health initiatives in the Netherlands, highlight that 1) improving the health of the population is the main aim, 2) not all initiatives are considering all four aims, 3) solutions to one aim can cause new problems, and 4) the Quadruple Aim is not assessed in a structured way. This indicates that the implementation of the Quadruple Aim is highly challenging. A suggestion for future research is to focus on how design can facilitate the implementation of the Quadruple Aim in open innovation health initiatives.