Professor, Health Policy PhD Program, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact
Message from the Public and Patient Engagement Collaborative lead
Health systems around the world have been experimenting for well over a decade with the more direct involvement of patients, families and communities in program and policy design, regulation and governance decisions. Public and patient engagement is a rapidly growing field characterized by many exciting opportunities and potential benefits as well as challenges and tensions.
At the Public and Patient Engagement Collaborative (PPEC) at McMaster University, we work at the interface of research and practice in this growing field, striving to support high-quality engagement through our research, consultation and support activities. Established over a decade ago, the PPEC grew out of long-standing partnerships with engagement practitioners across Canada, working to build the case for the active involvement of publics, patients and caregivers in the health system and policy decisions affecting them. As the engagement field has evolved, the Collaborative has added patient, family and caregiver partners to its network of collaborators. We benefit tremendously from these relationships — they inform the questions that guide our research, they shape the resources we produce, and they help us balance rigor with relevance in all that we do.
The PPEC has a strong training and leadership development ethos. Our trainees have gone on to positions in government, academia (including academic medicine), national health agencies and provincial associations, bringing their knowledge and expertise about the principles and practice of high-quality engagement to their roles.
McMaster is home to a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of engagement scholars and practitioners. The PPEC is a significant contributor to this community and to McMaster’s international reputation in the engagement field.
What is public and patient engagement?
This is an umbrella term we use to capture a wide variety of activities and roles. Engagement might involve individuals, or groups of, citizens, taxpayers, service users, clients, patients, family caregivers, volunteers, community members and advocates in various stages and domains of the health system and policy decision-making.
Public and patient engagement activities can be used to inform policy development and implementation. They may also be used to inform the governance, financing and funding of a wide range of programs, services and therapies (e.g., public health, pharmaceuticals and biotechnology, mental health and addictions, home, community and residential care).
Examples of public engagement activities include:
Deliberation
Processes in which a small group of broadly representative citizens engage. Processes are designed to get input based on considered discussion and public judgement.
Participation
Processes in which many citizens engage. Processes are designed to get input and increase the civic capacity/ability of citizens.
Public/Community Consultation
Open public forums, usually led by bureaucrats or staff facilitators. These tend to be task- or event-specific and time-limited.
Public Feedback
Opportunities for the public to provide feedback on policy proposals, public services, or experiences. Activities may include surveys, opportunities to comment on proposed legislation, or interviews about experiences.
What We Do
The PPEC conducts research and provides consultation, support, training and mentorship for public and patient engagement. Overall, our work falls into the following categories:
Principles and Practice Learn More
Research with the aim of understanding how members of the public and patient, family and caregivers are engaged in the health systems, in health research and in broader policymaking.
Frameworks and Tools Learn More
Develop frameworks, tools and measures to evaluate engagement and provide training and education on evaluation.
Methods and Approaches Learn More
Explore and elucidate citizen values on key health policy topics using a variety of deliberation methods.
Evaluation Learn More
Directly support research teams, health system organizations and others to evaluate engagement activities.
Our Partners
Our work has allowed us to collaborate with health system organizations, research groups, and patient, family and caregiver partners. We value these collaborations. Visit Our Partners to review a list of some of the organizations we have worked with in the past or are currently working with.