SUSTAINS project: Patient Empowerment Survey available soon

EPF will soon launch a survey in the framework of the Sustains Project.  The objective is to measure changes in patient empowerment among those that will be using the services developed and deployed through the project to provide patients’ access to Electronic Health Records (EHR).

The services proposed by the Sustains project aim at empowering patients among other objectives. There is a growing tendency by patients and the public to question information from the health system. They ask for a second opinion, demand respect and dignity in their treatment, expect convenience, etc. The citizen is no longer a passive subject, but an active player in the management of his/her own health. Access to EHR will help to support this new paradigm in healthcare.

This is the reason behind the survey that will take place in nine countries/regions*  participating in the SUSTAINS project. To be able to see the empowerment evolution it will be conducted twice, once before starting using the services and after at least one year of service usage.

The questionnaire was translated from English into six European languages and the technical infrastructure for the launch of the survey was prepared in collaboration with IT experts from these nine regions.

The literature review executed in summer 2012 helped to identify the components and indicators used for the survey. The framework revolves around three empowerment dimensions, i.e. patient knowledge, patient control, and patient participation.

 

* The nine regions/countries are: South Karelia (Finland), Estonia, Slovenia, Aragon (Spain), Basque Country (Spain), Uppsala (Sweden), Veneto (Italy), Central Greece, South Denmark