The Impact of Involvement between Patients and Healthcare Professionals in Improving Health and Quality in Cancer and Diabetes Care

Abstract

Objective: To determine to what extent patient involvement (PI) (or the involvement of patients’ families and/or their representatives) with healthcare professionals (HCPs) improves health and care quality in cancer and diabetes treatment.

Method: A literature review was conducted via the Medline and PsycINFO databases. Results were limited to articles published in the English language between 2000 and the first week of August 2020. Only peer-reviewed journal articles and systematic reviews, involving adult patients with cancer and/or diabetes, were included. The findings were extracted in themes: publication and population details, level and continuum of involvement, impact of involvement on health and care quality, factors and barriers to involvement and additional benefits of involvement.

Result: Out of 3,850 papers, 12 articles were eligible for inclusion. PI with HCPs was found to improve health outcomes, and patients play a critical role in enhancing care quality. PI can also help maintain or reduce healthcare costs.

Discussion and conclusion: PI can enhance health and care quality. There is, however, a gap between written policy and actual practice. Recommendations are made for enhancing PI, and more research is needed regarding PI and its benefits.