A coproduction fika

In the Swedish practice of “fika” workers gather for coffee and a small sandwich in mid-morning. They then talk about their work. In this episode, we use the idea of “fika” to reflect on what we’ve learned about coproduction so far and where we’re headed next: how science informs the practices where “disease or condition”, “illness”, and “service” come together. Knowledge of all three components is basic to the coproduction of a healthcare service. Integrating them is a form of knowledge and skill in itself.

Supplementary materials

Readings

Batalden P, Ovalle A, Foster T, Elwyn G.“Science-informed practice: an essential epistemologic contributor to health-care coproduction.” International Journal for Quality in Health Care, 2021, 33(S2), ii4–ii5 doi: https://doi.org/10.1093/intqhc/mzab054

Self-study questions

For a common condition, invite 2-4 people to help you brainstorm. (They should all be familiar with the condition chosen.) What biologic knowledge might be helpful? What social science might help understand the illness and treatment burdens in patient-persons dealing with this condition? As you imagine services that might help – what might help design good service for people with that condition? What measures might be helpful? What makes measures useful?For people who work as “professional-persons” in healthcare services, find a learning partner–someone who usually plays a different role in healthcare service than you do. Explore with that learning partner a situation of some condition you both know something about. What “biologic” knowledge might be helpful to the patient-person & professional-person interested in limiting the burden of disease, illness? What knowledge of the experience of illness might be helpful to limit the burdens of illness and treatment? What knowledge might help you design services that might help? What might you measure that might help…and how would you design the measurement process? What keeps your answers to these questions “relevant” to the patient-person’s aims for her/his own health?