Canadian Patient Partner Study

The Canadian Patient Partner Study aims to understand and describe the nature of patient partner engagement in health systems across Canada. ‘Patient partner’ is a term used to refer to people with lived experience of the health care system and who engage with health organizations in a longitudinal, bi-directional way to help make system change. This is a three-phase project funded by CIHR. Phase 1 was a systematic review and critical interpretive synthesis, which is currently under review. Phase 2 was a nationwide survey of patient partners resulting in the publication of two products. The BMJ Open article describes the population of Canadian patient partners, finding that they are a socio-demographically homogeneous group holding different roles that afford a variety of experiences and opportunities for influence. The Health Expectations paper details how patient partners report that their roles and engagement have changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Finally, Phase 3 will begin in Fall 2022 to conduct interviews with patient partners and health organization employees who work with patient partners.