Including citizens in collaborative projects in integrated health care through the living lab approach: how to attract participants, build a panel database, engage with end users, and keep them motivated

Introduction: The living lab approach allows citizens to be directly involved in projects in integrated healthcare to ensure that the development of topics is tailored to their needs and priorities and that their values are respected all throughout ideation and development. Be it through providing insights to researchers, participating in the collection and analysis of information on their health and well-being, or initiating and co-constructing the protocols of a project, citizens can be involved in many ways. They are the experts of their own lives!

Aims & methods: While setting up a community living lab, the development of a large-scale panel of citizens is an intensive, but necessary action. This community forms a large-scale co-creation and test environment of individuals willing to contribute to the development of new concepts, services, or products.

A user panel fulfills two core functions: Firstly, the panel is needed as a recruitment (data)base for the various experiments/research projects that will run within the living lab (as well as facilitating scalability). The panel must be well profiled and easily accessible, so it can be quickly activated. 

Secondly, this test panel aims to act as a benchmark for the living lab. It is the breeding ground from which specific needs and requirements, but also certain trends, can be identified bottom-up. This information can serve as a basis for defining new projects.

In this presentation, we will highlight: 

What the requirements are for a representative reference group to run projects

How different profiles and organisations can be approached and attracted

The importance of network building

How a panel database can be built and managed

Which techniques can be used to profile panel members

How to keep panel members interested and motivated to contribute to projects on a regular basis

Key findings: LiCalab has over 10 years of experience in working with citizens in innovation projects. It takes time to build a test panel and it will always remain a work in progress. The main learnings from this journey are that you need to be a trusted partner for both citizens and intermediaries as well as care organisations. An ethical approach, committed and inclusive communication, and an attractive story are key.

Conclusions: Citizens are motivated partners in designing future-proof and inclusive healthcare. A well profiled database and a close one-on-one connection with members is an intensive but rewarding approach for all parties that want to build new solutions together with end users.

Implications: Local authorities, care organisations and companies increasingly acknowledge the importance of citizen involvement to design better solutions corresponding to the needs of end users.