Reports from University of Uppsala Advance Knowledge in Healthcare Economics (Getting involved: the extent and impact of patient and public involvement in the Swedish health system)

2019 MAY 21 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Investigators publish new report on Economics - Healthcare Economics. According to news reporting originating in Uppsala, Sweden, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Patient and public involvement (PPI) is framed as beneficial for individuals and for the health system. However, little is known about the extent of involvement, or of its impact.”

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Uppsala, “Based on data from Sweden, we show that apart from voting in regional elections (76%), more people reported involvement as individual patients (23%) than part of collective activities (5%) or activities relating to a citizen perspective (4%). There was no correlation between how many people participated and the estimated impact -which was generally low. More extensive involvement is thus not linked to the potential to influence decisions. We argue that to achieve the benefits associated with PPI it is crucial to understand more about people’s motivation for being involved and what underlies low estimates of impact. This requires a more systematic approach to involvement, how it is evaluated and its results communicated to participants and the society.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “We also argue that a future challenge for the Swedish health system, and for other similar health systems, is to support long-term collective involvement in the midst of growing individualization of health services and involvement opportunities primarily intended for patients.”

For more information on this research see: Getting involved: the extent and impact of patient and public involvement in the Swedish health system. Health Economics, Policy and Law, 2019;():1-16. (Cambridge University Press - www.cambridge.org; Health Economics, Policy and Law - http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayJournal?jid=HEP)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting M. Fredriksson, Dept. of Public Health and Caring Sciences, University of Uppsala, Uppsala, Sweden.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1017/s174413311900015x. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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