Main Article Content
Abstract
This literature review examines five years of research (2020–2025) on technology value co-creation in healthcare services, addressing a notable gap in comprehensive syntheses of this evolving domain. Driven by the increasing prominence of digital health technologies, this study systematically analyzes 24 peer-reviewed articles from Emerald and ScienceDirect, categorizing them into five key themes: digital health technologies and mhealth platforms, patient and consumer engagement, organizational and ecosystem-level value co-creation, value co-creation frameworks and conceptual developments, and measurement and evaluation models. Findings reveal that while technology significantly empowers stakeholders and facilitates co-creation, there remains a limited understanding of multi-actor involvement, the active patient role, and the configurational impact of value drivers. The review highlights the inherently socio-technical nature of healthcare value co-creation, emphasizing the need for integrated approaches that consider human-AI entanglement, diverse engagement styles, and adaptive organizational practices. This synthesis contributes to both theory and practice by mapping current trends, identifying critical research gaps, and suggesting future avenues for fostering patient-centered, technology-enabled healthcare solutions.
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References
- Aerts, R., Pikkarainen, M., Xu, Y., & Andersson, S. (2023). Overcoming hospital resistance in an international innovation co-creation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122195
- Balta, M., Valsecchi, R., Papadopoulos, T., & Bourne, D. J. (2021). Digitalization and co-creation of healthcare value: A case study in Occupational Health. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120785
- Çakmak, C., & Uğurluoğlu, Ö. (2024). The Effects of Patient-Centered Communication on Patient Engagement, Health-Related Quality of Life, Service Quality Perception and Patient Satisfaction in Patients with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study in Türkiye. Cancer Control, 31. https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748241236327
- Chwialkowska, A., Bhatti, W. A., Arslan, A., & Glowik, M. (2023). Co-creating value and well-being experiences in physiotherapy services. Journal of Services Marketing, 37(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2021-0423
- Costanza, F. (2023). Patient organizations supporting health care and co-creating value: insights from a simulation model. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(5), 1397–1413. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2021-2679
- Dahl, A. J., Peltier, J. W., & Swan, E. L. (2023). Anticipatory value-in-use in early-stage digital health service transformations: How consumers assess value propositions before and after abrupt, exogenous shocks. Journal of Business Research, 163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113910
- Di Pietro, L., Ungaro, V., Renzi, M. F., & Edvardsson, B. (2024). Exploring volunteers’ role in healthcare service ecosystems: value co-creation, self-adjustment and re-humanisation. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2023-0081
- Dobe, J., Gustafsson, L., Walder, K., Bower, K., & Lachman, R. (2023). Co-creation of self-management support during inpatient stroke rehabilitation. PEC Innovation, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100191
- Farmer, J., Steiner, A., Kilpatrick, S., McCosker, A., Carlisle, K., & Kamstra, P. (2025). Value cocreation and innovation involving consumers and providers interacting with technology: a digital ethnographic study of online mental health forums. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2023-0029
- Jiang, J., Liu, R., & Wang, F. (2024). How value drivers of internet medical business model affect value creation: a configurational approach. Nankai Business Review International, 15(1), 48–66. https://doi.org/10.1108/NBRI-08-2022-0084
- Kaartemo, V., & Helkkula, A. (2024). Human–AI resource relations in value cocreation in service ecosystems. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-03-2023-0104
- Mathialagan, R., & Kuthambalayan, T. S. (2023). Sustainable value co-creation in healthcare systems in the context of reduced ease of access. Journal of Cleaner Production, 422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138545
- McColl-Kennedy, J. R., Breidbach, C. F., Green, T., Zaki, M., Gain, A. M., & van Driel, M. L. (2023). Cultivating resilience for sustainable service ecosystems in turbulent times: evidence from primary health care. Journal of Services Marketing, 37(9), 1167–1185. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2023-0100
- Mele, C., Russo-Spena, T., Marzullo, M. L., & Ruggiero, A. (2022). Boundary work in value co-creation practices: the mediating role of cognitive assistants. Journal of Service Management, 33(2), 342–362. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-10-2020-0381
- Moretta Tartaglione, A., Cavacece, Y., Cassia, F., & Russo, G. (2018). The excellence of patient-centered healthcare: Investigating the links between empowerment, co-creation and satisfaction. TQM Journal, 30(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-11-2017-0138
- Moulaei, K., Sheikhtaheri, A., Fatehi, F., Shanbehzadeh, M., & Bahaadinbeigy, K. (2023). Patients’ perspectives and preferences toward telemedicine versus in-person visits: a mixed-methods study on 1226 patients. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02348-4
- Nariswari, A., & Vargo, S. L. (2024). Service-Dominant Logic: Theoretical Foundations and Directions (pp. 153–186). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67155-5_8
- Peng, Y., Wu, T., Chen, Z., & Deng, Z. (2022). Value Cocreation in Health Care: Systematic Review. In Journal of Medical Internet Research (Vol. 24, Issue 3). JMIR Publications Inc. https://doi.org/10.2196/33061
- Pham, T. A. N., Le, H. N., Nguyen, D. T., & Pham, T. N. (2022). Customer service co-creation literacy for better service value: evidence from the health-care sector. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(7), 940–951. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-09-2021-0323
- Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2020a). Customer effort in mandatory and voluntary value cocreation: a study in a health care context. Journal of Services Marketing, 35(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0044
- Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2020b). Customer effort in mandatory and voluntary value cocreation: a study in a health care context. Journal of Services Marketing, 35(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0044
- Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2021). Does well-being differ across customer value cocreation practice styles? An empirical study in a chronic health context. European Journal of Marketing, 55(7), 1901–1929. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2020-0032
- Poblete, L., Eriksson, E., Hellström, A., & Glennon, R. (2023). User involvement and value co-creation in well-being ecosystems. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 37(9), 34–55. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-11-2022-0339
- Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20015
- Sandhu, M. A., AlMeraikhi, M. H., Saleem, A., & Farooq, M. (2024). Effectiveness of value co-creation in healthcare system from patients’ perspectives. Benchmarking. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-10-2023-0688
- Şencan, A., & Cengiz, E. (2025). All for one, one for all! Can value co-creation benefit all parties in healthcare? An empirical analysis with chronic patients in Türkiye. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-10-2024-0122
- Sharma, N., & Pandey, V. (2023). A meso-level exploration of citizen’s mGov adoption from SD logic perspective: the case of COVID-19 tracking app of India. Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance , 25(5), 505–521. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-01-2023-0005
- The impact of social media marketing on healthcare: Influence on value co-creation, brand equity, and customer engagement. (2024). In Strategic Direction. Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-09-2024-0149
- Tiitola, V., Lyly-Yrjänäinen, J., Apell, M., Rönkkö, M., & Holmström, J. (2025). Value creation and retention through re-servitization: Product service system for prescription medication dispensing in homecare. Technovation, 140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2024.103162
- Ullman, A. J., Gibson, V., Kleidon, T. M., Binnewies, S., Ohira, R., Marsh, N., McBride, C., Winterbourn, K., Boyte, F., Cunninghame, J., Roberts, N., XU, G. (Hui), Takashima, M., Cooke, M., Rickard, C. M., Byrnes, J., & Larsen, E. (2024). An mHealth application for chronic vascular access: Consumer led co-creation. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 76, 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2024.02.006
- Verleye, K., & Holvoet, S. (2024). Organizational practices to co-create value with family members engaged in service journeys of their loved ones. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 34(2), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-09-2022-0193
- Windasari, N. A., Lin, F. ren, & Kato-Lin, Y. C. (2021). Continued use of wearable fitness technology: A value co-creation perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102292
- Wu, C., Jiang, S., Zhou, Y., & Yuan, Q. (2024). Consumer engagement behavior in the value co-creation process of healthcare services: a scoping review. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 76(5), 822–841. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-10-2022-0443
- Wu, C., Yang, Z., Yuan, Q., & Zhang, H. (2025). Helping others is helping oneself: A mixed-methods investigation of antecedents driving consumer engagement in the value co-creation of mHealth platforms. International Journal of Information Management, 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2024.102867
References
Aerts, R., Pikkarainen, M., Xu, Y., & Andersson, S. (2023). Overcoming hospital resistance in an international innovation co-creation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122195
Balta, M., Valsecchi, R., Papadopoulos, T., & Bourne, D. J. (2021). Digitalization and co-creation of healthcare value: A case study in Occupational Health. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.120785
Çakmak, C., & Uğurluoğlu, Ö. (2024). The Effects of Patient-Centered Communication on Patient Engagement, Health-Related Quality of Life, Service Quality Perception and Patient Satisfaction in Patients with Cancer: A Cross-Sectional Study in Türkiye. Cancer Control, 31. https://doi.org/10.1177/10732748241236327
Chwialkowska, A., Bhatti, W. A., Arslan, A., & Glowik, M. (2023). Co-creating value and well-being experiences in physiotherapy services. Journal of Services Marketing, 37(1), 12–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-11-2021-0423
Costanza, F. (2023). Patient organizations supporting health care and co-creating value: insights from a simulation model. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(5), 1397–1413. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2021-2679
Dahl, A. J., Peltier, J. W., & Swan, E. L. (2023). Anticipatory value-in-use in early-stage digital health service transformations: How consumers assess value propositions before and after abrupt, exogenous shocks. Journal of Business Research, 163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113910
Di Pietro, L., Ungaro, V., Renzi, M. F., & Edvardsson, B. (2024). Exploring volunteers’ role in healthcare service ecosystems: value co-creation, self-adjustment and re-humanisation. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2023-0081
Dobe, J., Gustafsson, L., Walder, K., Bower, K., & Lachman, R. (2023). Co-creation of self-management support during inpatient stroke rehabilitation. PEC Innovation, 3. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100191
Farmer, J., Steiner, A., Kilpatrick, S., McCosker, A., Carlisle, K., & Kamstra, P. (2025). Value cocreation and innovation involving consumers and providers interacting with technology: a digital ethnographic study of online mental health forums. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2023-0029
Jiang, J., Liu, R., & Wang, F. (2024). How value drivers of internet medical business model affect value creation: a configurational approach. Nankai Business Review International, 15(1), 48–66. https://doi.org/10.1108/NBRI-08-2022-0084
Kaartemo, V., & Helkkula, A. (2024). Human–AI resource relations in value cocreation in service ecosystems. Journal of Service Management. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-03-2023-0104
Mathialagan, R., & Kuthambalayan, T. S. (2023). Sustainable value co-creation in healthcare systems in the context of reduced ease of access. Journal of Cleaner Production, 422. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138545
McColl-Kennedy, J. R., Breidbach, C. F., Green, T., Zaki, M., Gain, A. M., & van Driel, M. L. (2023). Cultivating resilience for sustainable service ecosystems in turbulent times: evidence from primary health care. Journal of Services Marketing, 37(9), 1167–1185. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2023-0100
Mele, C., Russo-Spena, T., Marzullo, M. L., & Ruggiero, A. (2022). Boundary work in value co-creation practices: the mediating role of cognitive assistants. Journal of Service Management, 33(2), 342–362. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-10-2020-0381
Moretta Tartaglione, A., Cavacece, Y., Cassia, F., & Russo, G. (2018). The excellence of patient-centered healthcare: Investigating the links between empowerment, co-creation and satisfaction. TQM Journal, 30(2), 153–167. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-11-2017-0138
Moulaei, K., Sheikhtaheri, A., Fatehi, F., Shanbehzadeh, M., & Bahaadinbeigy, K. (2023). Patients’ perspectives and preferences toward telemedicine versus in-person visits: a mixed-methods study on 1226 patients. BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-023-02348-4
Nariswari, A., & Vargo, S. L. (2024). Service-Dominant Logic: Theoretical Foundations and Directions (pp. 153–186). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-67155-5_8
Peng, Y., Wu, T., Chen, Z., & Deng, Z. (2022). Value Cocreation in Health Care: Systematic Review. In Journal of Medical Internet Research (Vol. 24, Issue 3). JMIR Publications Inc. https://doi.org/10.2196/33061
Pham, T. A. N., Le, H. N., Nguyen, D. T., & Pham, T. N. (2022). Customer service co-creation literacy for better service value: evidence from the health-care sector. Journal of Services Marketing, 36(7), 940–951. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-09-2021-0323
Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2020a). Customer effort in mandatory and voluntary value cocreation: a study in a health care context. Journal of Services Marketing, 35(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0044
Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2020b). Customer effort in mandatory and voluntary value cocreation: a study in a health care context. Journal of Services Marketing, 35(3), 381–397. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2020-0044
Pham, T. A. N., Sweeney, J. C., & Soutar, G. N. (2021). Does well-being differ across customer value cocreation practice styles? An empirical study in a chronic health context. European Journal of Marketing, 55(7), 1901–1929. https://doi.org/10.1108/EJM-01-2020-0032
Poblete, L., Eriksson, E., Hellström, A., & Glennon, R. (2023). User involvement and value co-creation in well-being ecosystems. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 37(9), 34–55. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHOM-11-2022-0339
Prahalad, C. K., & Ramaswamy, V. (2004). Co-creation experiences: The next practice in value creation. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(3), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.20015
Sandhu, M. A., AlMeraikhi, M. H., Saleem, A., & Farooq, M. (2024). Effectiveness of value co-creation in healthcare system from patients’ perspectives. Benchmarking. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-10-2023-0688
Şencan, A., & Cengiz, E. (2025). All for one, one for all! Can value co-creation benefit all parties in healthcare? An empirical analysis with chronic patients in Türkiye. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPHM-10-2024-0122
Sharma, N., & Pandey, V. (2023). A meso-level exploration of citizen’s mGov adoption from SD logic perspective: the case of COVID-19 tracking app of India. Digital Policy, Regulation and Governance , 25(5), 505–521. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPRG-01-2023-0005
The impact of social media marketing on healthcare: Influence on value co-creation, brand equity, and customer engagement. (2024). In Strategic Direction. Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-09-2024-0149
Tiitola, V., Lyly-Yrjänäinen, J., Apell, M., Rönkkö, M., & Holmström, J. (2025). Value creation and retention through re-servitization: Product service system for prescription medication dispensing in homecare. Technovation, 140. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2024.103162
Ullman, A. J., Gibson, V., Kleidon, T. M., Binnewies, S., Ohira, R., Marsh, N., McBride, C., Winterbourn, K., Boyte, F., Cunninghame, J., Roberts, N., XU, G. (Hui), Takashima, M., Cooke, M., Rickard, C. M., Byrnes, J., & Larsen, E. (2024). An mHealth application for chronic vascular access: Consumer led co-creation. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 76, 68–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pedn.2024.02.006
Verleye, K., & Holvoet, S. (2024). Organizational practices to co-create value with family members engaged in service journeys of their loved ones. Journal of Service Theory and Practice, 34(2), 319–340. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-09-2022-0193
Windasari, N. A., Lin, F. ren, & Kato-Lin, Y. C. (2021). Continued use of wearable fitness technology: A value co-creation perspective. International Journal of Information Management, 57. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102292
Wu, C., Jiang, S., Zhou, Y., & Yuan, Q. (2024). Consumer engagement behavior in the value co-creation process of healthcare services: a scoping review. Aslib Journal of Information Management, 76(5), 822–841. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJIM-10-2022-0443
Wu, C., Yang, Z., Yuan, Q., & Zhang, H. (2025). Helping others is helping oneself: A mixed-methods investigation of antecedents driving consumer engagement in the value co-creation of mHealth platforms. International Journal of Information Management, 81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2024.102867