PPP92050: Policy, Power & Politics in Healthcare – Health System Assignment Help
Task:
Based on information drawn from class sessions and independent investigation, each student is to provide a succinct descriptive and evaluative annotated summary of six academic papers that have a focus on one or more health policy stakeholders (300 words for each paper). A purpose designed general template will be provided to students to guide the successful completion of assessment task.
This qualitative research proposes a theoretical model of patient engagement to advance the potential for improved and more patient centred outcomes. Based on existing definitions and frameworks, the paper identifies a continuum of patient engagement from consultation through to equal partnership and decision-making authority at all levels from individual patient care through to policy development. It also identifies elements that influence the ability and extent of engagement by patients.
Creating a logically sound theoretical basis and using theory to guide policy are important fundamental approaches to advancing our understanding of patient engagement. Theory helps organise information so we can better understand a complex area. For many people working in our health system, patient engagement is a vaguely considered umbrella term and this paper goes some way towards explaining the area, so it is helpful as an educational tool.
It also explains how the model can be used to inform healthcare practice and policy. In addition to this, it provides a number of critical research questions to build and strengthen the evidence based further. This declaration of research need can inform policy of the current state of play of the area. The limitation of this paper to inform health policy is its theoretical nature. A growing number of patient engagement concepts have evolved over recent years and while they have apparently sound face validity, many have not been validated so we do not know in which environments and under which circumstances they are most likely to be effective.
Furthermore, the core purpose of this work is to stimulate patient engagement. However, an essential requirement for effective patient engagement is the willingness and capacity of healthcare providers, health facilities and policy makers to encourage and provide impetus and opportunities for engagement, but consideration of these important elements was beyond the scope of this paper.
