“Smart process” of medical innovation: The synergism based on network and physical space

Abstract

Medical innovation has a profound impact on public health, and it is always of social concern to encourage innovation and enhance the value in health care delivery. Based on a sample of China’s listed firms in the medical industry from 2007 to 2018, this paper highlights the independent and mixed roles of informatization and high-speed rail in public medical innovation. The results show that informatization at network space and high-speed rail at physical space effectively promote the innovation of medical enterprises. In addition, “online” information technology and “offline” high-speed rail technology have a synergistic effect on medical innovation, especially in areas with a low level of innovation. The conclusion supports the positive significance of technology in the application of public health and proposes that the construction of smart society is very important to public health.