Person-centered healthcare and integrated public health

The public brings to the table valuable perspectives learned from living with the health problems research works to solve. Patients as research partners in the clinic, at home, and in the lab can provide the fine details for a successful implementation that differentiate a research finding that sits expensive and unused from primary care that improves quality of life. Life experiences can reveal practical wisdom for prioritizing the health questions that matter to patients . It is possible that contributions by patient research partners may go unreported, and this can be compounded by role confusion where the terms “public involvement”, “community engagement”, “citizen support”, and “quantified self-groups” are used interchangeably . We know from a multiplicity of research that priorities recorded by researchers on behalf of patients may not be the same as those that are important to patients.