“….The development of evidence-informed healthcare policies relies heavily on the hierarchies of research and the technical know-how of experts. However, the experiences, opinions, and value preferences of patients, the general public and consumer advocates also play a legitimate and useful role, especially when difficult, value-laden decisions must be made."
A new paper from the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation highlights how engaging users in health policy decisions increases the public’s trust and confidence in their healthcare system.
If one accepts that "the public holds important health knowledge, but this knowledge should be applied carefully and appropriately", all working in health will be interested to think about how best to capture, analyse and understand such knowledge.
How do you do it? How does your organisation do it?