The International Alliance of Patients’ Organizations (IAPO) has launched a Policy Statement on Patient Information outlining recommendations for information providers to meet the information needs of patients worldwide, at a regional meeting of patient groups in Argentina. The IAPO Policy Statement on Patient Information outlines a key principle of patient-centred healthcare and expresses the experience and needs of IAPO’s global patient group membership.

It is essential that patients are empowered with the information they need to make informed decisions about healthcare treatments and living with their condition. With accurate, relevant and comprehensive information patients can make informed lifestyle choices, take their medicines correctly and manage their condition. This is critical if healthcare systems are to meet the pressures and challenges of an increasing burden of chronic disease worldwide. In order for information to empower patients on an individual level there needs to be patient involvement in the development of information policies at a health systems level. The voice of the patient must be strong in health-policy making if healthcare systems are to be patient-centred. An informed patients voice is a strong patient voice.

IAPO defines patient information as all forms of health information that relate to a patients’ specific disease or condition, treatments, medication and health services. IAPO calls on all stakeholders involved in communicating information to patients to involve patients and patients’ organizations in all information-related policy and delivery decisions. This will ensure that policies and practice address the information needs of patients whatever their disease area or geographical location.

In addition, IAPO draws attention to the need to focus on how information is communicated so that the communication method helps patients to understand and make informed decisions based upon the information content. This will ensure that information is suitable to patients’ individual conditions, language, age, understanding, ability and culture. Finally, IAPO calls on all stakeholders to ensure that patients and their representatives play a key role in the development and dissemination of patient information, recognising that many patients are experts in their own condition.

Mr Hussain Jafri, IAPO Chair and Secretary General, Alzheimer’s Pakistan, stressed that “Accessible, high quality information is critical to meeting the needs of patients’ worldwide, in order to provide information about their condition and possible treatments, and also to ensure patients take their medicines correctly and safely. However, it is imperative that all healthcare providers, in particular governments, support measures to develop and improve health literacy to empower patients and improve health outcomes. The IAPO Policy Statement on Patient Information is a powerful resource and a call to all healthcare stakeholders to ensure that patients’ information needs are met in a patient-centred way.”

Source: IAPO