Developing an improvement strategy in health research innovation and quality based on technology watch adoption: a cuban case study

Objective: To develop an improvement strategy on research, innovation and quality of health, based on technology watch adoption. Method: A non experimental study that comprehends descriptive and bibliometric analysis was used, along with the implementation of technology watch procedure to support the strategy. Originality/Relevance: Technology watch along with strategic intelligence are acknowledged to be key tools in innovation processes as well as in strengthening National Science Technology and Innovation Systems (Guagliano, Villanueva, Perez and Sanchez Rico, 2019); its use has spread to numerous public and private companies, government agencies, consulting institutions, universities and research centers which are being interested in anticipating the continous and emerging challenges from the changing environment and hence making proper strategic decisions (Guagliano, Massaro and Rodriguez Bianchi, 2015); particularly in health care its applications are extended to technology assessment, care services improvement and academic research capacity planning and strengthening (Carrillo Zambrano, Paez Leal, Suarez and Luna-Gonzalez, 2018). Specifically, Research, Quality and Innovation management at a local health system in Cuba, needs to generate high value-added information and knowledge to enhance performance and accurate decision making. Results: Here we show how the development of technology watch enhance and support the formulation of research, development and innovation projects; and standardization of healthcare services and processes, which were selected as relevant variables in a previous prospective study. Social / management contributions: The results are aligned with the Cuban healthcare strategic goals, for among its current demands, it prioritizes the generation of high-impact scientific and innovative results, as well as the development of a quality strategy that portrays, among its core objectives, health services continuous improvement, based on developing standards, Clinical Practice Guidelines and therapeutic protocols. Theoretical/Methodological contributions: The adoption of Technology and Innovation management and knowledge-based techniques may offer valuable benefits within research and quality of healthcare context.