Therapeutics and Clinical Risk Management

Patient Engagement in Quality Improvement

Engaging patients effectively in Quality Improvement (QI) means that they are actively involved in defining and realizing their health-related goals, providing perspectives and lived experience regarding clinical successes, gaps in care or issues that are not perceptible to providers. For learning health systems, this critical information can precipitate new knowledge, refinement of quality metrics and spark innovation in service redesigns. However, including patient voices in QI may also raise tough questions, destabilizing care delivery system norms and disrupting traditional deference to provider authority. It also means providing support for patients who accept this participatory role.

Meaningfulness, in the engagement context, indicates intentional inclusion in activities that are carried out ‘with’ and ‘by’ patients, rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them. Further, as quality improvement teams partner with patients to achieve outcomes in observational or interventional projects, those teams contribute to changes interpersonally, behaviorally and structurally that reduce health inequities. The empowerment that results from meaningful Patient Engagement benefits patient communities facing health risks, especially the under-represented, under-served and under-resourced, as well as the health institutions that serve them.

Importantly, the match between the approach, method or tool and the objectives, needs and abilities of the patient population remains a critical driver of engagement plan effectiveness. The fit with which an engagement plan meets the priorities, values and capacity of a specific population and/or care delivery system should be thoughtfully assessed, as not every QI effort requires formulating an advisory panel. Factors that specify alignment such as evidence base, congruence with organizational structure and current realities, consonance with family and community histories, assets, protective features and values, cost, supports, usability, and impacts on other aspects of a project are, among others, relevant domains in which to map and assess fit. Evaluating the fit of an engagement plan will prevent strategy mismatches such as when a strengths approach is intended, yet a deficits approach is executed.

On behalf of the editorial team, I invite authors to submit manuscripts examining empowerment and the fit of engagement approaches, methods and tools for publication in an Article Collection about Patient Engagement in Quality Improvement. Welcome are articles that discuss navigating unequal power relationships and/or that highlight how a specific community (e.g., those with disabilities, indigenous, etc.) contributed meaningfully to the QI effort. The journal will publish original research, clinical and epidemiological studies, reviews, expert opinion and commentary. All manuscripts will be reviewed by qualified peer reviewers and accepted articles will be published online after proofreading and formatting.

Keywords:

• Patient Engagement
• Quality Improvement
• Engagement Approach, Method, Tool
• Empowerment
• Alignment

All manuscripts submitted to this Article Collection will undergo desk assessment and peer review if they can pass the desk assessments as part of our standard editorial process; the Guest Advisor for this Collection will not be handling the manuscripts (unless they are an Editorial Board member).

The deadline for submitting manuscripts is 31 May 2027.

Please contact Catherine Teng at catherine.teng@taylorandfrancis.com  with any queries and discount codes regarding this Article Collection.