The core of health and care is improving people's well-being. However, processes and solutions within healthcare are rarely driven by the needs and values of the people receiving care and the healthcare professionals providing it. The aim of Human Centred Care is to ensure that people's values and needs are central. In the theme Co-creation in healthcare innovations, we look at participatory approaches for the development, evaluation and implementation of innovation in healthcare that meets the needs and values of people and society.

To achieve co-creation, it is important to empower stakeholders (such as patients). In this theme (Co-creation in healthcare innovations), our goal is therefore to take the first step towards enabling patients to take an active role in their care so that they can manage their health effectively and independently (self-management). Patients are no longer passive recipients of care. Their perspective is just as important as the clinical expertise of their healthcare provider and evidence-based medicine. The relationship between patients and healthcare providers is one of equality. Empowerment enables patients to have the knowledge, skills, attitude and self-awareness to engage in self-management. Personalised health technologies can support these processes, with a special focus on ensuring that they are usable and accessible.

When the needs, preferences and values of stakeholders are taken into account in the development of innovations, these innovations are better suited to the healthcare context in which they will be applied. In this way, we contribute to achieving appropriate care (the right care in the right place), increasing self-management, improving the quality of care, reducing the workload of healthcare professionals and increasing their job satisfaction.