Turning modularity upside down: Patient-centered Down syndrome care from a service modularity perspective

Modularity involves the decomposition of a service into components and modules that can be mixed and matched to individual needs, so that each customer receives an individualized modular package. As such, every customer can be offered a different combination of components and modules and thus each is treated as unique. This is especially important in healthcare since patients are becoming more demanding and call for healthcare services that are tailored to their needs. However, evidence on the applicability of modularity in complex healthcare services, for example on healthcare for people with complex care needs, is missing. This doctoral thesis is composed of five studies to advance knowledge on service modularity in complex healthcare provision and explore to what extent service modularity can support the provision of patient-centered service provision. These studies characterized chronic healthcare provision for children with Down syndrome from a modular perspective and show how modularity, and specifically interfaces, can contribute to the delivery of coordinated and patient-centered care provision. In general, this doctoral thesis contributes to the service modularity literature, and in particular to interfaces in service modularity, as well to the practice of delivering patient-centered care for patients with complex care needs, such as individuals with Down syndrome.