Pittens et al. (2013) reported on a consultation model for a guideline on the resumption of (work) activities after gynaecological surgery, for which there was no patient organisation. They consulted gynaecological patients and professionals separately, in 2 parallel trajectories. They found that to ensure the motivated involvement of an unorganised patient population, like gynaecological patients, a skilled facilitator was essential. The researchers convened 3 focus groups with patients at the beginning of the project to identify their problems, needs and preferences for peri-operative care and counselling in the resumption of (work) activities. They also sought participants’ ideas for the development of a web-based patient version of the guideline. Participants received regular feedback during the project and were involved in the testing of the patient version. The researchers used an evaluation framework to assess the impact of this involvement and concluded that patients’ input helped ensure the guideline was applicable in daily practice. The authors suggested that increased patient involvement could be achieved by integration of the 2 parallel trajectories with additional participatory activities, such as a dialogue meeting. They also suggested that more patient involvement in the development of the recommendations of the clinical guideline may result in increased relevance and quality of the recommendations. |