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Objectives: Value-based healthcare has gained recognition. Part of this framework is using outcome information in daily care. This study evaluated the effects of the patients' perceived use of outcome information on shared decision-making, patient experiences with healthcare, treatment credibility, and outcome expectations., Methods: Data collection occurred at 25 clinics for hand surgery and therapy. We created two groups based on whether patients indicated that outcome information was used (Outcome Information group) or was not used (control group) during the clinician consultation. The patients' experience with healthcare was assessed after the first consultation with digitally distributed patient-reported experience measure (PREM) and a questionnaire to measure treatment credibility and expectations. We controlled for confounders using propensity score matching on a 3:1 basis. We calculated Cliff's delta as an effect size measure (0.11-0.27 small, 0.28-0.42 medium, >0.43 large)., Results: After propensity score matching, we included 636 patients in the Outcome Information group and 212 in the control group. The Outcome Information group experienced more shared decision-making (Cliff's delta 0.33 [0.24-0.40], p<0.001) and scored better on all PREM items. Patients in the Outcome Information group had more positive expectations of the treatment outcome (Cliff's delta: 0.21 [0.12-0.29], p<0.001) and found their treatment more credible (Cliff's delta: 0.26 [0.18-0.34], p<0.001) compared to patients in the control group., Conclusions: The perceived use of outcome information by patients leads to more shared decision-making, better experiences with healthcare, and more positive outcome expectations and treatment credibility. We therefore recommend using outcome information in daily care to fulfill the promise of value-based healthcare., (Copyright © 2025. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Most countries are off-track to achieve global maternal and newborn health goals. Global stakeholders agree that investment in midwifery is an important element of the solution. During a global shortage of health workers, strategic decisions must be made about how to configure services to achieve the best possible outcomes with the available resources. This paper aims to assess the relationship between the strength of low- and middle-income countries' (LMICs') midwifery profession and key maternal and newborn health outcomes, and thus to prompt policy dialogue about service configuration., Methods: Using the most recent available data from publicly available global databases for the period 2000-2020, we conducted an ecological study to examine the association between the number of midwives per 10,000 population and: (i) maternal mortality, (ii) neonatal mortality, and (iii) caesarean birth rate in LMICs. We developed a composite measure of the strength of the midwifery profession, and examined its relationship with maternal mortality., Results: In LMICs (especially low-income countries), higher availability of midwives is associated with lower maternal and neonatal mortality. In upper-middle-income countries, higher availability of midwives is associated with caesarean birth rates close to 10-15%. However, some countries achieved good outcomes without increasing midwife availability, and some have increased midwife availability and not achieved good outcomes. Similarly, while stronger midwifery service structures are associated with greater reductions in maternal mortality, this is not true in every country., Conclusions: A complex web of health system factors and social determinants contribute to maternal and newborn health outcomes, but there is enough evidence from this and other studies to indicate that midwives can be a highly cost-effective element of national strategies to improve these outcomes., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: This study aimed to use the Person-Centered Coordinated Care Experience Questionnaire (P3CEQ) to assess the experience of person-centered coordinated care among people with long-term conditions in the Balearic Islands, Spain., Methods: Over 1300 participants receiving treatment for chronic conditions or HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis were invited to complete the P3CEQ and a socio-demographic questionnaire, both administered electronically via the Naveta app. The P3CEQ assesses the key domains of the P3C through an 11-item questionnaire. Items 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10 assess specifically person-centredness (PC subscale), while items 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 measure care coordination (CC subscale; question 7 includes 4 sub-questions to specifically assess care plans). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize patient characteristics and P3CEQ items scores. Data analysis included chi-squared test of independence, Student's t -test and analysis of variance test. Pairwise comparisons were adjusted by Bonferroni correction., Results: The P3CEQ and a socio-demographic questionnaire were sent to 1313 individuals (651 men, 657 women, 5 'other gender'). A response rate of 35.34% was achieved, with 464 P3CEQ responders (223 men and 241 women). Significant differences in response rates were observed by age, smoking status, alcohol consumption, membership of patient organizations, and use of alternative medicine. Care planning was rated significantly lower than other measured domains. Women experienced less person-centered care than men (16.64 vs 17.91) and rated care coordination worse than their male counterparts (9.18 vs 10.23). There were also differences in scores between medical condition types, with cancer and inflammatory bowel disease patients rating highest for both person-centered care (21.20 and 19.13, respectively) and care coordination (10.70 vs 10.88, respectively). Patients with skin and rheumatic diseases rated lowest their experience of person-centered care. People with higher education and those employed or studying experienced better person-centeredness., Conclusion: Using the P3CEQ, we detected significant differences in the care experiences of people with chronic conditions, suggesting the need to address potential gender biases, social inequalities, and the poorer ratings observed for certain conditions in the study population., Competing Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s) 2024.)

Background: Economic evaluations are being conducted with increasing frequency in the maternity care setting, with more randomized controlled trials containing a health economic component. Key emerging criticisms of economic evaluation in maternity care are lack of robust data collection and measurement, inconsistencies in methodology, and lack of adherence to reporting guidelines., Methods: This article provides a guide to the design of economic evaluations alongside clinical trials in maternal health. We include economic concepts and considerations for the maternity setting and provide examples from the UK and Australia., Results: There are many important considerations for the design of economic evaluations alongside clinical trials. To be effective, researchers must select types of economic evaluation, which align with their study objectives; choose an appropriate evaluation perspective, time horizon, and discount rate; and identify accurate ways to measure and evaluate health outcomes and costs., Discussion: This guide is written for noneconomists and can be used for designing economic evaluations to be conducted as a part of clinical trials. We seek to improve the quality, consistency, and transparency of economic evaluations in maternal health., (© 2023 The Authors. Birth published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Purpose: Sexual health is an important contributing factor for health-related quality of life, but research in this domain is scarce. Moreover, normative data are needed to interpret patient-reported outcome measures on sexual health. The aim of this study was to collect and describe normative scores of the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS) and the Body Image Scale (BIS) from the Dutch population and assess the effect of important demographic and clinical variables on the outcome. As the FSDS is also validated in men, we refer to it as SDS., Method: Dutch respondents completed the SDS and BIS between May and August 2022. Sexual distress was defined as a SDS score > 15. Descriptive statistics were calculated to present normative data per age group per gender after post-stratification weighting was applied. Multiple logistic and linear regression analyses were conducted to assess the effect of age, gender, education, relationship status, history of cancer and (psychological) comorbidities on SDS and BIS., Results: For the SDS 768 respondents were included with a weighted mean score of 14.41 (SD 10.98). Being female (OR 1.77, 95% CI [1.32; 2.39]), having a low educational level (OR 2.02, CI [1.37; 2.39]) and psychological comorbidities (OR: 4.86, 95% CI [2.17; 10.88]) were associated with sexual distress. For the BIS, 696 respondents were included. Female gender (β: 2.63, 95% CI [2.13; 3.13]), psychological comorbidities (β: 2.45, 95% CI [1.43; 3.47]), higher age (β: -0.07, 95% CI [-0.09; -0.05]), and a high educational level (β:-1.21, CI: -1.79 to -0.64) were associated with the non-disease related questions of the Body Image Scale., Conclusion: This study provides age- and gender-dependent normative values for the SDS and the non-disease related questions of the BIS. Sexual distress and body image are influenced by gender, education level, relationship status and psychological comorbidities. Moreover, age is positively associated with Body Image., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the impact of oligodontia on appearance and on the functional and psychosocial aspects of oral health-related quality of life (OHrQoL) in patients aged 8-29 years., Methods: 62 patients with oligodontia that were registered at Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands were included. A control group included 127 patients that were referred for a first orthodontic consultation. Participants completed the FACE-Q Dental questionnaire. Regression analyses were performed to explore relationships between OHrQoL and patient-identified gender, age, the number of congenitally missing teeth, active orthodontic treatment, and previous orthodontic treatment., Results: The only clear significant difference between the oligodontia and control groups was that patients with oligodontia scored lower in the domain, 'eating and drinking' (p < 0.001). It was found that, in oligodontia, the greater the number of agenetic teeth, the more difficulties eating and drinking. In fact, the Rasch score was reduced by 1.00 (95% CI: 0.23-1.77; p = 0.012) for each extra agenetic tooth. Older children scored significantly lower than younger ones on five out of nine scales: appearance of the face, smile, and jaws; social function; and psychological function. Females scored significantly lower than males on four scales: appearance of the face, appearance distress, social function, and psychological function., Conclusion: These findings suggested that, when treating patients with oligodontia, the number of agenetic teeth, age, and gender should be taken into account. These factors could have negative effects on their self-assessment of appearance, their facial function, and their quality of life., Clinical Significance: The increased difficulty with eating and drinking associated with more agenetic teeth highlighted the importance of functional (re)habilitation., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Aims: To assess the effects on outcomes and hospital revenues (societal cost) of a by default strategy of same day discharge (SDD) in patients undergoing a cardiac catheterization procedure in a Belgian Hospital., Methods and Results: Outcome and complete financial data were obtained in all consecutive patients with a cardiac catheterization performed in 2019 (n=5237) and in 2021 (n=5377). Patient-reported experience, patient satisfaction and Net promotor score were obtained prospectively for the SDD cohort in 2021. The proportion of patients receiving catheterization procedure in SDD increased from 28 to 44 % (p<0.001). This translates to the saving of 889 conventional hospitalizations in 2021. All-cause death and readmission rate remained unchanged (0,17% vs 0,15% (p=0,004); and 0,7% vs 1,8% (p>0,05)) in 2019 and 2021, respectively. Patients satisfaction top box score was 91% and the Net Promotor Score was 89,5. The by default SDD strategy was associated with reduction in in-hospital health care spending, on average 3206€ per procedure is saved. This means a 57% decrease in hospital revenues and translates into an important decrease in physician income., Conclusion: Implementing a by default SDD cardiac catheterization strategy results in a reduction of societal cost, excellent patient satisfaction and unchanged clinical outcome. Yet, in the given context this approach negatively impacts hospital and physician revenues precluding the sustainability of such protocol., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest Dr. Collet reports receiving research grants from Biosensor, GE Healthcare, Medis Medical Imaging, Pie Medical Imaging, CathWorks, Boston Scientific, Siemens, HeartFlow. and Abbott Vascular; and consultancy fees from HeartFlow, Opsens, Pie Medical Imaging, Abbott Vascular and Philips. Dr. De Bruyne has an institutional consulting relationship with Boston Scientific, Abbott Vascular, CathWorks, Siemens, GE Healthcare, and Coroventis Research; receives institutional research grants from Abbott Vascular, Coroventis Research, CathWorks, Boston Scientific; and holds minor equities in Philips, Siemens, GE Healthcare, Edwards Life Sciences, HeartFlow, Opsens, and Celiad. Dr. Wyffels has an institutional consulting relationship with Siemens. Dr. Barbato reports receiving honoraria for presentaions and support for attending meetings from Abboth Vascular, Boston Scientific, Insighht Lifetech. Dr. Esposito and Dr. Bertolone reports research grant from the CardioPaTh PhD Program., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Vulvar cancer (VC) accounts for <1% of cancers affecting the female gender. Clinical Pathways (CP) and Clinical Outcomes Monitoring are useful for providing high-quality care to these patients. However, it is essential to integrate them with the patient's perspective according to Value-Based Healthcare paradigms. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs) are tools for assessing outcomes and experiences with health care from the patient's perspective. The aim of this paper is to collect and synthesize PROMs and main stakeholders' experience on the VC CP, according to a value-based approach., Materials and Methods: To select the most appropriate instrument, a review was conducted on the main databases and official websites of specific institutions and organizations. In the second phase, a 2-round Delphi survey was conducted to assess the Reported Experience Measures (REMs) tool. Questions were evaluated according to four criteria (general relevance, evidence-based, measurability, actionability) and included if strong agreement was reached. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was executed. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega were computed. Fisher's exact test and Wilcoxon rank sum test were used to compare ratings between groups. Descriptive statistics were performed for both PROMs and REMs instruments., Results: For PROMs assessment, EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaire was selected and administered to 28 patients. Global Health Status/Quality of Life and Functional Scales Scores were high or very high, while symptoms scale reported low or medium scores. The final REMs consists of 22 questions for professionals and 16 for patients and caregivers. It was administered to 22 patients, 11 caregivers, 5 physicians, 2 nurses and 1 clinical senior manager. PCA identified 4 components. Scale reliability was acceptable (α = 0.75 95% CI: 0.61-0.85; ω = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.82). A statistically significant difference between the patient/caregiver group and the professionals was found for items 8 (follow-up), 10 (perceived quality), 12 (safety), and 16 (climate) ( p = 0.02; p = 0.03; p < 0.001; p < 0.001, respectively)., Discussion: PROMs could provide new ways of intercepting patients' needs and feedback, thus acting on them. The proposed REMs tool would allow to detect information not available elsewhere, which, through Audit and feedback strategies, could lead to enhancement of healthcare experience, according to a value-based approach., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 de Mattia, Angioletti, Perilli, Guajardo Rios, Garganese, Tagliaferri, Scambia, Fragomeni and de Belvis.)

Introduction: Favoring innovation by making timely medical technology available to people and by securing patients' safety is a challenge., Areas Covered: The new European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) will have a central implication in the development of new devices and could affect their innovation and availability, as well as discourage investment in research within Europe., Expert Opinion: Start-ups and small companies might not be able to cope with the increasing complexity and the required changes of perspective. Health-care institutions are facing an increasing availability of complex technologies, while data on their clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness are rarely provided. A partnership/collaboration between health-care institutions, academia, and private industries will enhance their own specific interests with the common goal of improving overall health and quality of life. The complexity of the subject combined with the variety of specialists and stakeholders involved requires the implementation, in hospital centers of clinical excellence, of units dedicated to the whole path of the medical device innovation. Stakeholders should quickly provide adequate measures to facilitate the complex medical device innovation path under the more stringent MDR aimed to increase safety and quality of care.

Crohn's disease (CD) is an immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract. While the etiology is not fully elucidated, the intestinal microbiome is believed to initiate and maintain immune activation in CD. The intestinal microbiome is highly responsive to its environment, including host dietary patterns. As such, dietary interventions have the potential to modulate intestinal microbiome composition and function and improve disease outcomes. We present a retrospective chart review of an adult male with complicated Crohn's disease who was non-responsive to medical management. The patient began the specific carbohydrate diet (SCD) in February 2017 and maintained it for 42 months. The patient tolerated the SCD well and has been asymptomatic for 40 months on the SCD. Stool fecal calprotectin (FCP) decreased from 493 ug/g at baseline to 70 ug/g at month three and remained in the normal range thereafter. Endoscopy with biopsy at month 12 showed normal histology in the colon and terminal ileum. Magnetic resonance enterography (MRE) showed resolution of prior jejunal inflammation. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) associated healthcare costs were $42,688 in the 12 months preceding the intervention and $2,797/year with SCD. This represented a 94% reduction in healthcare insurance costs and a 91% reduction in out-of-pocket patient expenses. This case highlights the rapid and sustainable benefits of the SCD intervention in Crohn's disease from both a clinical and economic standpoint., Competing Interests: AA is the founder and Clinic Director of Modulla Health Nutrition Clinic. DS is a co-founder and Chief Medical Officer of Nimbal Health., (Copyright © 2022, Arjomand et al.)

Aims: To determine the value of scoliosis surgery, it is necessary to evaluate outcomes in domains that matter to patients. Since randomized trials on adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) are scarce, prospective cohort studies with comparable outcome measures are important. To enhance comparison, a core set of patient-related outcome measures is available. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of AIS fusion surgery at two-year follow-up using the core outcomes set., Methods: AIS patients were systematically enrolled in an institutional registry. In all, 144 AIS patients aged ≤ 25 years undergoing primary surgery (median age 15 years (interquartile range 14 to 17) were included. Patient-reported (condition-specific and health-related quality of life (QoL); functional status; back and leg pain intensity) and clinician-reported outcomes (complications, revision surgery) were recorded. Changes in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were analyzed using Friedman's analysis of variance. Clinical relevancy was determined using minimally important changes (Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)-22r), cut-off values for relevant effect on functioning (pain scores) and a patient-acceptable symptom state (PASS; Oswestry Disability Index)., Results: At baseline, 65 out of 144 patients (45%) reported numerical rating scale (NRS) back pain scores > 5. All PROMs significantly improved at two-year follow-up. Mean improvements in SRS-22r function (+ 1.2 (SD 0.6)), pain (+ 0.6 (SD 0.8)), and self-image (+ 1.1 (SD 0.7)) domain scores, and the SRS-22r total score (+ 0.5 (SD 0.5)), were clinically relevant. At two-year follow-up, 14 out of 144 patients (10%) reported NRS back pain > 5. Surgical site infections did not occur. Only one patient (0.7%) underwent revision surgery., Conclusion: Relevant improvement in functioning, condition-specific and health-related QoL, self-image, and a relevant decrease in pain is shown at two-year follow-up after fusion surgery for AIS, with few adverse events. Contrary to the general perception that AIS is a largely asymptomatic condition, nearly half of patients report significant preoperative back pain, which reduced to 10% at two-year follow-up. Cite this article: Bone Joint J  2022;104-B(2):265-273.

Background: Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) is an evolving model of healthcare delivery aimed at achieving better patient outcomes at lower costs to the healthcare provider. The practise of VBHC requires efficient information systems with good reporting capability and subsequent outcome measuring . Information systems within the National Health Service (NHS) are often multiple and not necessarily integrated to one another. We therefore developed a systematic approach to collecting, validating and analysing data from multiple sources and information systems, with the aim of designing and endorsing an automatic system to capture health outcomes data in heart failure to support future VBHC models., Methods: A retrospective cohort of heart failure patients with reduced ejection fraction undergoing Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD) or Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy (CRT) procedures within a limited geographical area in South London were evaluated. A purpose built database was created to integrate, transform and validate health care data from multiple information systems., Results: Validation analysis shows that our implemented methodology has produced a robust dataset. Our limited cohort of 134 patients does not allow for any complex statistical analysis however has identified some important themes related to outcomes and costs., Conclusion: We have created a validated database specific to our Trust that can be upscaled locally with ease and transferred to other health diseases. Due to variations in local procedure from one Trust to another, this methodology now requires implementation across multiple sites to understand differences in transformation of data and outcome measuring.

Competing Interests: REG is employed by HE-Xperts Consulting LLC. The remaining author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Success of the accountable care organization (ACO) model may require stronger financial incentives, such as including downside risk in contracts. Using the National Survey of ACOs, we explored ACO structure and contracts in 2012-18. Though the number of ACO contracts and the proportion of ACOs with multiple contracts have grown, the proportion bearing downside risk has increased only modestly.

Purpose: In the era of value-based healthcare, one strives for the most optimal outcomes and experiences from the perspective of the patient. So, patient experiences have become a key quality indicator for healthcare. While these are supposed to drive quality improvement (QI), their use and effectiveness for this purpose has been questioned. The aim of this systematic review was to provide insight into QI interventions used in a hospital setting and their effects on improving patient experiences, and possible barriers and promoters for QI work. Methods: Prisma guidelines were used to design this review. International academic literature was searched in Embase, Medline OvidSP, Web of Science, Cochrane Central, PubMed Publisher, Scopus, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar. In total, 3,289 studies were retrieved and independently screened by the first two authors for eligibility and methodological quality. Data was extracted on the study purpose, setting, design, targeted patient experience domains, QI strategies, results of QI, barriers, and promotors for QI. Results: Twenty-one pre-post intervention studies were included for review. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using a Critical Appraisal Skills Program (CASP) Tool. QI strategies used were staff education, patient education, audit and feedback, clinician reminders, organizational change, and policy change. Twenty studies reported improvement in patient experience, 14 studies of the 21 included studies reported statistical significance. Most studies (n=17) reported data-related barriers (eg, questionnaire quality), professional, and/or organizational barriers (eg, skepticism among staff), and 14 studies mentioned specific promoters (eg, engaging staff and patients) for QI. Conclusions: Several patient experience domains are targeted for QI using diverse strategies and methodological approaches. Most studies reported at least one improvement and also barriers and promoters that may influence QI work. Future research should address these barriers and promoters in order to enhance methodological quality and improve patient experiences., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest that could have influenced this paper.

Purpose: Non-functioning pituitary adenomas (NFPA) have a substantial impact on patients' health status, yet research on the extent of healthcare utilization and costs among these patients is scarce. The objective was to determine healthcare usage, associated costs, and their determinants among patients treated for an NFPA., Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 167 patients treated for an NFPA completed four validated questionnaires. Annual healthcare utilization and associated costs were assessed through the medical consumption questionnaire (MTA iMCQ). In addition, the Leiden Bother and Needs Questionnaire for pituitary patients (LBNQ-Pituitary), Short Form-36 (SF-36), and EuroQol (EQ-5D) were administered. Furthermore, age, sex, endocrine status, treatment, and duration of follow-up were extracted from the medical records. Associations were analyzed using logistic/linear regression., Results: Annual healthcare utilization included: consultation of an endocrinologist (95% of patients), neurosurgeon (14%), and/or ophthalmologist (58%). Fourteen percent of patients had ≥1 hospitalization(s) and 11% ≥1 emergency room visit(s). Mean overall annual healthcare costs were € 3040 (SD 6498), highest expenditures included medication (31%), inpatient care (28%), and specialist care (17%). Factors associated with higher healthcare utilization and costs were greater self-perceived disease bother and need for support, worse mental and physical health status, younger age, and living alone., Conclusion: Healthcare usage and costs among patients treated for an NFPA are substantial and were associated with self-perceived health status, disease bother, and healthcare needs rather than endocrine status, treatment, or duration of follow-up. These findings suggest that targeted interventions addressing disease bother and unmet needs in the chronic phase are needed.

Increasing need and demand because of growing and aging populations combined with stagnant or decreasing resources being invested into healthcare globally mean that a radical shift is needed to ensure that healthcare systems can meet current and future challenges. Quality-, safety- and efficiency-improvement approaches have been used as means to address many problems in healthcare and while they are essential and necessary, they are not sufficient to meet our current challenges. To build resilient and sustainable healthcare systems, we need a shift to focus on triple value healthcare, which will help healthcare professionals improve outcomes at the process, patient and population levels while also optimising resource utilisation. Here we present a brief history of the Quality and Evidence-based Healthcare model and then describe how value emerged as a predominant theme in England. We then highlight the four solutions that we, as part of the RightCare programme, designed and refined in the English NHS to turn theory into practice: We end with a description of how triple value is being introduced into Germany and steps that can be taken to facilitate its adoption., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

A strategy of customisation, and its subsequent practical implementation as part of personalised treatment pathways, is an appropriate approach to increase benefits for patients and to strengthen the competitive position of the provider of health services. This requires restructuring and/or reorganising measures to enable variants within the treatment pathway as a value creation process to be adapted to each individual patient and his illness, living conditions and preferences. This 'mass customisation' approach allows us to achieve the objective of a constructive interconnection of customisation and standardisation of health services. Major, rapid progress in information and communication technology plays a key part in this process. Focused design tools for mass customisation are the integration of patients into the service delivery process and the modularisation of processes and organisation. By taking into account the specificities of health services as a confidence good these design tools are featured and supported by operational and organisational tools in order to develop variants. This approach allows for high-quality health services that are perfectly tailored to individual patients' needs and, at the same time, delivered in an economic way. On this basis, customised approaches for personalised health diagnosis and therapy provide patient-focused health services that manage to apply the concept of value-based healthcare in a sophisticated and effective form., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)