Recommandation for patient engagement promotion in care and cure for chronic conditions

The concept of patient engagement is receiving a growing attention in the healthcare field. The last decades have seen a deep revision of care models in the aim of a greater acknowledge of the patient role, seen as an expert actor, in the healthcare process. On the other side, healthcare systems are facing a growing request for participation expressed by citizens and patients. People claim for being more involved in all the crucial turning point of their healthcare journey and of being better aware of their right and duties. They require a deeper knowledge about all the different therapeutic options with the related risks and advantages. However, although all the different stakeholders agree in considering patient engagement a pragmatic further then ethical priority, a shared consensus related to the strategies and instrument to promote has still to come. Patients and healthcare professional perspective about the factors that may hinder or sustain patient engagement still need to be further studied and at shared recommendations - about the programs better effective and efficient in promoting patient engagement - are still missed. Based on these premises, Università Cattolica of Milano and DG Welfare of Regione Lombardia, under the methodological supervision of the Istituto Superiore di Sanità, promoted a consesus conference entitled "Recommendation for promoting patient engagement in healthcare for chronic conditions". This consensus conferences constituted the occasion of sharing and discussion among experts belonging to different clinical and institutional contexts as well as with representative of patients associations in order to identify good practices and effective tools to promote patient engagement in the care and cure process for chronic conditions.