Patient involvement in quality management: rationale and current status

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review how patient and public involvement (PPI) can contribute to quality improvement functions and describe the levels of PPI in quality improvement functions at hospital and departmental level in a sample of European hospitals. Design/methodology/approach – Literature review and cross-sectional study. Findings – PPI takes multiple forms in health care and there is not a single strategy or method that can be considered to reflect best practice. The literature reveals that PPI can serve important functions to support quality improvement efforts. In contrast, the assessment of actual PPI in quality improvement shows that PPI is low. Research limitations/implications – Findings are not representative of hospitals in the EU. Practical implications – A diverse set of methods and tools that can be employed to realize PPI. Service providers should consider PPI at all stages, in particular in setting quality standards and criteria and in evaluating the results. Originality/value – Contextualization of empirical findings with case studies from the literature that inform further practice and research on PPI.