New book presents comprehensive theoretical vision of modern patient engagement

Patient engagement is considered a key priority In today's healthcare services, both in the context of improved effectiveness of treatment and information technology. New book, Patient Engagement. A Consumer-Centered Model to Innovate Healthcare by Italian authors: Guendalina Graffigna, Serena Barello, Stefano Triberti, presents a comprehensive theoretical vision of modern patient engagement, bringing together sustainable action priorities and tips for developing new technologies for results-driven and practical insight into how patient engagement works.

The authors argue that the experience of engagement is a key qualifier of the exchange between the demand (i.e. clients/patients) and the supply process of healthcare services. To understand and detect the strategic levers that sustain a good quality of patients' engagement may thus allow not only to improve clinical outcomes, but also to increase patients' satisfaction and to reduce the organizational costs of service delivery.

The idea of patient engagement - borrowed from the marketing conceptualization of consumer engagement - begins with the assumption that making patients/clients co-producers of their health can enhance their satisfaction with a healthcare system, as well as their responsibility in both care and prevention, by improving clinical outcomes and reducing health delivery costs. Adopting a relational marketing perspective, the book offers practical insights into the developmental process of patient engagement - suggesting tools for assessing the levels of patients' engagement and strategies to sustain it. Crucial resources to the implementation of these strategies are also the new technologies that should be implemented according to precise guidelines and designed according to a user-centered design process. Showcasing best practices and experiences matured in different fields, the authors describe possible areas of patient engagement application.

Changes in the epidemiological trends of chronic diseases in the recent decades - also due to the ageing population - and the increased length and quality of life among the majority of Western population have introduced important challenges for the management of the healthcare systems. Consequently, health systems throughout the world are searching for new and effective ways to make their services more responsive to new patients and the public health needs and demands. Moving from an up-to-date revision of the main theoretical perspective in this field, this book addresses the problem, offering practical solutions for engaging patients consistently and cost effectively.