Patients as partners?

Many patients now want a say in decisions that affect their health. Some are keen to go further and are arguing for the concept of patients as partners. To them, the patient�s view of what constitutes good medical practice is just as important as the doctor�s. They believe that any decision about an individual patient�s care must be based on what that individual believes and wants - after they have been fully and impartially informed. And they have evidence on their side: studies show that when patients are fully informed and decisions about their health are made jointly with them, health outcomes are better and costs are lower.

Others think that the idea of partnership with patients is neither feasible nor desirable. The pressure on doctors to see and deal with patients as quickly as possible has never been greater. In the average consultation there is scarcely time to define (or exclude) medical problems let alone discuss metaphysics. Arguably patients - particularly distressed and vulnerable ones (which is just about everyone when ill) - seek the same things from doctors that they seek from other professional experts: help and guidance. They want an informed opinion on the best course of action from a doctor they can trust. They don�t want to be presented with vast chunks of indigestible, conflicting data and told to make up their own minds.

What do you think?

Is the concept of patients as partners valid and useful?

If so, how should doctors respond?

Or is this just the latest enthusiasm to emerge from the consumerist wing of the largely well, middle class?

We would greatly value your views on these questions now, and any contributions in the form of papers, editorials, letters, personal views and the like for our forthcoming theme issue in September on Patients as Partners.

Guest editor: Angela Coulter

Editorial contact: Tessa Richards, trichards{at}bmj.com

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Patients & families as partners - sharing the burden of knowledge: John Goldsmith
bmj.com, 19 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Patients must understand therapies: Miriam Hendricks
bmj.com, 20 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Culture diversity matter: Vasiliy Vlassov
bmj.com, 21 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Partner patients- were clinical trials there first ?: Anthony W Fox
bmj.com, 24 Mar 1999 [Full text]
The Patient Partner Program in RA: J E Dacre
bmj.com, 25 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Patients have to be partners: Elizabeth C Evans
bmj.com, 26 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Decision whether the patient should be partner must be made on an individual basis: Kameswari Lakshmi
bmj.com, 29 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Partnership in Service Development: The Patient Care Developement Programme: Patrick Hill
bmj.com, 31 Mar 1999 [Full text]
Revealing the magician�s secrets: patients as partners and doctors as navigators: Steven C Boyages
bmj.com, 2 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Partnership- the best option: Chris Manning
bmj.com, 5 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Patients as partners: why the time is right: Surinder Singh
bmj.com, 6 Apr 1999 [Full text]
The times of "Don't Ask! Don't Tell" are gone: Alexandra Andrews
bmj.com, 6 Apr 1999 [Full text]
All the solutions lie with patients-we need to listen: Peter Selby
bmj.com, 7 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Political correctness going too far.: David Carvel
bmj.com, 11 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Making the best use of the doctor's time by empowering the patient with information: Aniruddha Malpani
bmj.com, 12 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Educating the Patient: James Phillips
bmj.com, 19 Apr 1999 [Full text]
Misleading information: Marco Grassi
bmj.com, 6 May 1999 [Full text]
Primary Health Care for People with Learning Disabilities: David Martin
bmj.com, 21 May 1999 [Full text]
Our duty is firstly to help Patients improve their Communication with Doctors.: Dominic F Slowie
bmj.com, 28 May 1999 [Full text]
Participating in theory: Sharon Saint Lamont
bmj.com, 4 Jun 1999 [Full text]
I believe that Doctors and patients should function as partners: Ntokozo Mathaba
bmj.com, 19 Jun 1999 [Full text]
Patients as partners: a wider relationship: Lesley Southgate
bmj.com, 7 Jul 1999 [Full text]
Talking about death and dying: B Kreymann
bmj.com, 22 Jul 1999 [Full text]
Patient partnership is not a magic formula: Aldo Mariotto
bmj.com, 21 Aug 1999 [Full text]
Integrated Care Pathway: Alan Liu
bmj.com, 11 Sep 1999 [Full text]
Patients as Parteners a very good idea: Kay Davison
bmj.com, 12 Sep 1999 [Full text]
The patient's right to sound decision: Yuval Rabinovich
bmj.com, 15 Dec 1999 [Full text]
Personal view: Negotiating management plans at the coalface requires an artist's touch.: Andrew Thornett
bmj.com, 19 Apr 2000 [Full text]
good issue: dilip yadav, et al.
bmj.com, 1 Apr 2004 [Full text]