Assessing the Social and Environmental Impact of Healthcare Technologies: Towards an Extended Social Return on Investment

Maria Pinelli (), Stefania Manetti and Emanuele Lettieri
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Maria Pinelli: Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy
Stefania Manetti: Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy
Emanuele Lettieri: Department of Management, Economics and Industrial Engineering, Politecnico di Milano, Via Lambruschini 4/B, 20156 Milan, Italy

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability overall worldwide. Upper limb impairment is a common consequence for stroke survivors, having negative impact on their quality of life. Robotic rehabilitation, through repetitive and monitored movements, can improve their status. Developed by a team of researchers at Politecnico di Milano, AGREE is an exoskeleton for upper limb rehabilitation at the stage gate between translational research and clinical validation. Since the cost of this device is particularly high, the present study aimed to provide a framework for assessing its value. The Social Return on Investment (SROI) method, able to grasp the economic, social and environmental impact of an activity, was applied, using expert opinions of a pool of clinical engineers and healthcare professionals from different Italian hospitals to obtain information. Environmental impacts were estimated through Life Cycle Assessment in terms of CO 2 emissions and incorporated in the analysis. Considering a 5-year period, the SROI for a single exoskeleton was 3.75:1, and the SROI for the number of exoskeletons projected to be sold was 2.868:1, thus resulting largely in value for money. This study provides a model for combining economic, social and environmental outcomes that, besides contributing to theory, could be useful for decision-making.

Keywords: SROI; technology; disability; exoskeleton (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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