Giving (Back) a Role to Patients in the Delivery of Healthcare Services: Theoretical Roots of Patient Engagement

As the concept of patient engagement is increasingly accepted and valued by both academics and policy makers, the number of terms and definitions used to describe the active role of patients across various healthcare settings and health disciplines has increased, often leading to semantic confusion among healthcare professionals, managers, and policy makers. This chapter examines the literature on the concept of patient engagement and related concepts, including definitions and theoretical perspectives. The chapter is conceived as a "glossary" of conceptualizations related to the active role of patients in their healthcare journey. Based on this theoretical review, it will be easier to understand the value and the applicability of the patient engagement concept. More specifically, patient engagement may be viewed as an umbrella term that qualifies the systemic relation that occurs between the "supply" and the "demand" of healthcare - at different levels and in different situations. Considering this meaning, patient engagement is a broad term which incorporates the other terms, such as patient adherence, patient compliance, self-management, patient involvement, patient participation, shared decision-making, patient activation, and patient's technology engagement, which are more traditionally used to denote the active role of patients in their care, as discussed in this chapter.