Innovation Facilitating Culture in Private and Public Primary Healthcare

Abstract: Background: In recent years, Sweden, together with the rest of the world, has faced an increased demand of the primary healthcare (PHC), due to a growing and aging population. Innovation has been pointed out as a tool aiding PHC to meet new challenges. Included in the concept of innovation is organizational innovation and innovation facilitating culture. The prior being one type of innovation while the latter seeks to address factors that ease the implementation of an innovation. The literature reveals a disagreement regarding the innovation level between private and public healthcare. Furthermore, the literature neglects to study the innovation facilitating factors specifically for the two primary healthcare providers in Sweden, private and public. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to generate insights regarding facilitating factors for organizational innovation in private and public primary healthcare centers (PHCC) in the county of Skåne, Sweden. The purpose is accomplished by identifying similarities and differences in the two sectors. Method: Since there is no literature covering the intersection between private and public PHC and innovation facilitating culture, the most suitable research design for the study was grounded theory. To fulfill the purpose, individual's perception of the innovation facilitating culture was investigated by conducting semi-structured interviews with respondents working at private and public PHCC's. The interviews were analyzed in line with a grounded theory research design. Findings and Implications: The study identified both similarities and differences between private and public PHCC's regarding innovation facilitating culture. However, more similarities than differences could be seen. Thus, it is concluded that the two primary healthcare providers act similarly in terms of their facilitating culture for organizational innovation. The study further indicates what facilitating factor private, and public PHCC's lack in general and therefore, what factors usually require more attention. Thus, the awareness can contribute to developing primary healthcare to meet the increased demands that it is facing.