Strengthening patient involvement in rehabilitation

Stronger involvement from the patient in health care is advocated because of the changed role perception, due to the increasing therapeutic possibilities in the course of medical progress, thoughts concerning ethical considerations and medical legislation, and also on the basis of scientific findings. Different levels of personal involvement can be identified: participation in decision-making processes, participation in the management of diseases, as well as participation on the system level. The implementation of these in health care is still insufficient due to various barriers at different levels. Besides barriers on the physicians' side, limited health literacy and low patient activation are discussed as obstacles for stronger patient involvement. Furthermore, specific adjustments are necessary for implementation in rehabilitative health care, especially due to the treatment in a multiprofessional team. In a current funding initiative with an emphasis on rehabilitation, research projects with a focus on participative healthcare are being performed.