Social Innovation in Healthcare - MIT ID Innovation
                     Understanding The 
Role of Social 
Innovation in 
Healthcare
MITID Innovation
Over the past century, we have observed 
a leap in medical advances: from novel 
drug discoveries and diagnostics to the 
digitalization of various health services. 
However, there is still a lag in delivering 
these outstanding innovations to the more 
marginalized section of the world. And to 
bridge the gap between healthcare 
advances and individuals in need, the 
WHO introduced the social innovation in 
healthcare initiative in 2014. 
What is Social Innovation?
Social Innovation can be understood as the 
creation and implementation of new and 
effective solutions to solve social or 
environmental problems. These solutions 
may not necessarily be introduced as 
national policies. As long as such solutions 
meet the current social needs better than 
their predecessors, any government and 
non-government entity can propose them.
Social Innovation in Healthcare
The healthcare sector around the world 
faces the challenge of rising healthcare 
costs, an aging population, poor and 
inconsistent care, and inaccessibility to 
timely care. It may be shocking to know 
that nearly 15% of patients admitted into a 
hospital suffer an adverse effect post-
treatment. Moreover, 10-20% of all these 
effects come about due to medication 
errors.
As a boon, social innovations offer us 
an alternate perspective to the 
challenges we face in the healthcare 
system. They are based on the belief 
that people from all walks of life have 
the ability to comprehend their health 
and know the best way to address the 
problems they face.
The beauty of 
social innovation in healthcare is 
that it can take several forms. 
Innovation projects can be in the form of 
processes (like effective care pathways), 
products (digital applications), marketing 
(social finance tools), behavioral practices 
(person-to-person service), or new policies.
The vision of advanced healthcare is driven by 
the convergence of four major trends that are 
continually tracked and updated for best 
results. These include:
Connectivity and convergence: It aims to 
offer coordinated population management 
through digital tools, anywhere and anytime.
Innovation to zero: Aims for a future with 
zero medication errors and hospital-borne 
infections.
Innovative business models: Business 
models supported by the latest technologies 
can cater to population health, risk sharing, 
direct to consumer, and supply chain 
intelligence.
Social trends: More and more people 
empower themselves to take control of their 
health.
Why is Social Innovation Important 
in Healthcare
Social Innovation can help make 
healthcare more valuable, inclusive, and 
affordable. The integration of data and 
analytics into patient management can 
help healthcare providers monitor patients, 
enhance operational procedures and 
accurately track treatment and treatment 
costs.
In the past, healthcare institutions and 
professionals mostly worked in isolated 
silos of practice, which disconnected 
various information sources, such as 
pharmacies, health and medical records, 
patient services, and payments. 
Fortunately, healthcare providers can 
deliver better quality and more coordinated 
care due to the increasing digitization of 
healthcare services.
But, social innovation in healthcare goes 
beyond simple medical solutions. It does 
more than enhance the public and private 
sector health delivery capacity or create a 
more resilient healthcare system. It 
empowers individuals and communities to 
improve their quality of life and achieve 
equal access to healthcare independently. 
By combining various aspects of technology, 
business, medicine, and social care, social 
innovation aims to change the social 
relationships among people.
Discover More About Innovation 
at MIT ID Innovation
At MIT ID Innovation, we aim to create 
contemporary innovators and empower them 
to excel in the political, social, economic, and 
technological framework. Through our 
flagship program, we take a comprehensive 
approach to innovation and combine design, 
technology, business, and humanities with 
the aim to build a strong foundation that can 
help deliver effective solutions.
Conclusion
MIT ID Innovation Programme curates 
knowledge and experiences that 
challenge the very paradigm of evolution. 
And that's why we have set out to define 
the future of industries, communities, 
cities and ecosystems. MIT ID Innovation 
offers the best Courses in Innovation.
We’d love to 
hear
from you.
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