There is a compelling case for involving patients, caregivers, and consumers in the development of health products and services as they have daily, lived experience of medical conditions, therapies, and services. Beyond this expertise, they also have a wide range of skills including leadership, innovation, entrepreneurship, and communication and can be valuable partners for improving health systems. Learning health systems recognise the impact patients and caregivers can have to make healthcare safer, kinder, and more equitable.
During the CoRE Scientific Conference 2022 “Patients as Partners for Health: Co-creating Equitable Access to Health Products and Services”, we shared and discussed current best practices in Asia-Pacific and globally for meaningful involvement of patients in health products development, regulation, health technology assessment, safety communication and healthcare practice. There is still more room to further institutionalise patient engagement in Asia-Pacific, ensure all voices are heard, and share our successes to demonstrate the impact of patient engagement.
The participants called for action through this “Patients as Partners Statement” to continue to advance and institutionalise patient engagement in Asia-Pacific. The Statement reflects recommendations from diverse stakeholders represented at the Conference and recognises the diversity of health systems in the region.
Everyone has the right to health and to participate in decisions that affect us.
We therefore:
We value your comments and thoughts on the conference statement. Do reach out to us at CoRE@duke-nus.edu.sg