Patient led campaign for better involvement of patients in their own care.

Manifesto has 5 principles:

• Share and listen – acknowledge patients are experts in their own lives and bodies, use plain language.
• Respect one another
• Share information responsibly – help patients access the information they need, and respect confidentiality
• Promote curiosity – be clear even when it is difficult to explain, encourage patients to do their own research and get involved in patient communities
• Be a teambuilder – treat patients as collaborators, respect their goals, values and preferences

These are shared responsibilities, the patient has their own duty to be honest, ask questions, advocate themselves.

Institute of Medicine describes a continuously learning system (in respect of healthcare in the US), the second feature of which is Patient-clinician partnerships. This is explained as “engaged, empowered patients – a health care system anchored on patient needs and perspectives, and promoting the inclusion of patients, families and other care givers as vital members of the team“.

Unclear this happens on any significant level, especially when it comes to communication outside the hospital or clinic room. Studies have found that when patient portals or messaging systems are used, patients often respond with further questions or comments, which suggests unmet need and desire to engage further. Other studies have found that only a tiny minority of messages in such systems are initiated by the health care team, which suggests a reactive rather than active contribution to the partnership.