Charged with ensuring that research produces useful evidence to inform health decisions, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) requires investigators to engage patients and other health care stakeholders, such as clinicians and payers, in the research process. Many PCORI studies result in articles published in peer-reviewed journals that detail research findings and engagement’s role in research. To inform practices for engaging patients and others as research partners, we analyzed 126 articles that described engagement approaches and contributions to research.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a health problem that causes the throat muscles to relax and block the airway, making breathing stop and start during sleep. Continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, is a common treatment for sleep apnea. CPAP machines use an air hose and mask to give patients constant, steady air pressure while they sleep.
Research has shown that people who feel confident about managing their health and are more engaged in their care often have better health than people who don’t have these traits. Researchers refer to these traits as patient activation and engagement.
In an earlier study, the research team made a list of 39 health clinic activities that support patient activation and engagement. For example, doctors can work with patients to set health goals.
The toolkit contains educational materials and training templates for effectively engaging patient advisors in research projects. Materials can be tailored for each research project.
Primary care is the foundation of the U.S. health care system. Effective primary care initiates care coordination and prioritizes care management; ensures that interventions continue across delivery settings; improves quality, outcomes, and patient experiences; and contains costs by reducing downstream utilization of more expensive services delivered by specialists or in hospitals.
At least one in every five adults suffers from mental illness each year, many of them in silence. Research suggests roughly half of those with clinical depression and generalized anxiety disorder don’t get treatment. Because mental illness not only increases the risk of chronic health conditions, but can also shorten a person’s lifespan, it’s important that we begin speaking up. Check out our mental health resources below.
The Center for Consumer Engagement in Health Innovation is a pragmatic, forwardlooking advocate for improving the health of people and communities with complex health and social needs. We amplify the voices of consumers and communities in health care and in health policy. We promote innovation and health care that is person-centered and focuses on the well-being of vulnerable people and communities across the country
Five modules and links to a wide-range of resources for moving patients forward on the patient activation continuum. The tools are listed by category, and include Activation, Communication, Decision Aids, Self-Management and Shared-Decision Making.
National leaders in patient advocacy, also members of the MedStar Health Patient and Family Advisory Council for Quality and Safety (PFACQS), provide tips on what it takes to start a PFAC that focuses on Quality and Safety
This toolkit showcases how primary care practices are involving patients in quality improvement efforts as part of Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q), the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s signature effort to lift the quality of care in targeted communities across the United States.
