The increasing development and availability of new technologies in all fields have led to the creation of new strategies and business models, meaning the way an organization creates, captures, and distributes value. Among these business models, platform companies or “platfirms” represent a compelling case, as they can allow knowledge and data sharing increasing the organization’s value. The concept of value has changed in the last few years, from a purely economic or financial perspective to a value which must include the environment and the society, gathering together different stakeholders. The chapter aims at investigating the contribution of “platfirms” in a critical sector, that of healthcare, by analyzing the case of the World Health Innovation Summit (WHIS). Results show how “platfirms” like WHIS can contribute to the creation and spreading of knowledge, involving experts, professionals, and people, and reinvesting efforts, value, and money back to the community in a circular way. New technologies can thereby enhance the creation of new sustainable business models and solutions able to increase the social value, thereby allowing the move from a digital economy to knowledge.

Intellectual capital as the sum of human, structural, and relational capital is among the key resources for an organization to produce value. However, knowledge as an intellectual resource may show a dark side. Human capital, for instance, is often affected by cognitive bias coming from knowledge and beliefs. Cognitive bias may negatively affect decision-making processes. Bias may be dangerous in all fields. However, the situation can be particularly critical in medicine, where statistics state how up to 75% of all clinical errors are of cognitive origins. The chapter aims at investigating if and how intangibles management can help to overcome cognitive bias. The work employs a case study approach analyzing BACRI, a digital platform in the field of pediatric medicine. BACRI, which stands for “Critical Child” in Italian, allows identifying young patients at risk who need immediate care. The case study shows how the joint effect of structural capital, human capital, and relational capital is the key to the overcoming of cognitive bias, in a virtuous circle. Intangibles management can so limit the dark side of knowledge.

Background/Objectives: Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is a validated procedure for the treatment of idiopathic normal-pressure hydrocephalus. To select shunt-responsive patients, infusion and tap tests can be used. Only gait is evaluated after the procedure to establish a potential improvement. In this study, we present our Hydro-Real-Time Neuropsychological Testing protocol to assess the feasibility of performing an ultra-fast assessment of patients during the infusion and tap test. Methods: We tested 57 patients during the infusion and tap test to obtain real-time feedback on their cognitive status. Data were obtained immediately before the infusion phase (T0), when the pressure plateau was reached (T1), and immediately after cerebrospinal fluid subtraction (T2). Based on cerebrospinal fluid dynamics, 63.15% of the patients presented a resistance to outflow > 12 mmHg/mL/min, while 88% had a positive tap test response. Results: Compared to T0, cerebrospinal fluid removal significantly improved performance on tasks exploring executive functions (counting backward, p < 0.001; verbal fluency, p < 0.001). Patients were significantly faster at counting backward at T2 vs. T1 (p < 0.05) and at T2 vs. T0 (p < 0.001) and were significantly faster at counting forward at T2 vs. T1 (p < 0.005), suggesting an improvement in speed at T2. There was a significantly smaller index at T1 vs. T0 (p = 0.005) and at T2 vs. T0 (p < 0.001), suggesting a more marked improvement in patients’ executive abilities at T2 and a smaller improvement at T1. Regarding verbal fluency, patients were worse at T1 vs. T0 (p < 0.001) and at T2 vs. T0 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Patients’ performance can be monitored during the infusion and tap test as significant changes in executive functions are observable. In future, this protocol might help improve patients’ selection for surgery.