The Patients Association have published the ‘six key principles of patient partnership’, a concept which aims to solidify the importance of patient partnership in all aspects of healthcare. The objective of the Association is to ensure the patient voice is represented on all levels of decision making, shaping health and care decisions including national guidelines and strategy documents. The benefit of patient partnership has the potential to improve quality and outcomes, cost-effectiveness and patient safety.
The 6 principles include:
- Treating patients as equals
- Patients who are fully informed.
- Shared decision making and patient partnership
- Recognising inequalities.
- Seeking patient input
- Joining services around patients.
Patients who are interested in the concept of patient partnership are encouraged to read the article in full via the Patients Association website: The Six Principles of Patient Partnership (patients-association.org.uk)
BHVS are always interested to hear from valve patients that would like to share experiences and improve care of patients with heart valve disease – please get in touch via the ‘contact us’ link.