Better together: mitigating consumer vulnerability risk in healthcare systems through strengthening consumer co-production capacity
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Date
2026-06
Authors
Leocadio, Paula
Kelleher, Carol
Fernández, Eluska
Hawkes, Colin
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Elsevier Inc.
Published Version
Abstract
Service scholars tacitly assume that healthcare consumers, professionals, and researchers possess the requisite capacities and resources for service co-production with healthcare organizations. However, conflicting epistemes may increase experiences of vulnerability during co-production. Our paper aims to explore how healthcare organizations can enable and sustain meaningful consumer involvement in healthcare co-production to deliver transformative outcomes. Our participatory research with young people with type 1 diabetes and family members identified key practices (i.e., constructing, connecting, and co-learning) that support meaningful involvement of consumers in healthcare co-production. We introduce strengthening consumer co-production capacity as a means of mitigating risk of vulnerability and advancing epistemic justice in co-production. We demonstrate that healthcare organizations can and should prioritize continuous strengthening of consumers’ co-production capacity, acknowledge and respect differentiated expertise and perspectives, and foster mutual respect to maximize and sustain co-production partnerships.
Description
Keywords
Co-production , Consumer capacity , Consumer vulnerability , Healthcare , Strengths-based approaches , [CUBS] , [Medicine]
Citation
Leocadio, P, Kelleher, C, Fernández, E & Hawkes, C 2026, 'Better together: mitigating consumer vulnerability risk in healthcare systems through strengthening consumer co-production capacity', Journal of Business Research, vol. 211, 116216, pp. 1-12.