16.09.2026

Tag 3 – Patient Empowerment

This post is part of our series on International Patient Safety Week 2026, which focuses on non-communicable diseases. You can find all the posts from this week here: Blog.

Treatment is a team effort – you make all the difference

Health is not something that is achieved solely in hospital or at the doctor’s surgery. Much of what influences our health takes place in everyday life – between individual consultations. This is precisely where patient empowerment comes in.

Patient empowerment means enabling patients to play an active role in shaping their own health. Those who understand their condition better, ask questions, set personal goals and contribute to treatment decisions transform from passive recipients of medical care into active partners in the treatment process.

At the Swiss Medical Network, we view treatment as a team effort. Healthcare professionals contribute their specialist knowledge, whilst patients contribute their experiences, needs and goals. This collaborative partnership forms the basis of modern integrated care. Self-management influences key aspects of health-related quality of life. Patient empowerment is therefore a key driver for improving outcomes and quality of life.

Did you know?

People who are more actively involved in their own care are more likely to adopt health-promoting behaviours and adhere better to their treatment.
Self-management programmes can improve self-efficacy and quality of life.
Shared decision-making increases satisfaction with treatment.
Health literacy is now regarded as a key prerequisite for active participation in the treatment process.
Patient empowerment is an important component of modern integrated care.

Why patient empowerment works

Patient empowerment means taking an active role in shaping one’s own health. It is not about taking sole responsibility for one’s treatment. Rather, it involves supporting patients in better understanding their condition, making informed decisions and working with healthcare professionals to find suitable solutions.

Studies show that people who are actively involved in their treatment are more likely to adopt health-promoting behaviours, adhere better to their treatment and rate their overall health more positively (Greene & Hibbard, 2012). Structured self-management support can also strengthen confidence in one’s own abilities and contribute to better health outcomes (Dineen-Griffin et al., 2019).

What does this mean in practical terms?

Taking an active role in your own health often starts with small steps in everyday life:

Understanding information about your own condition and asking for clarification if anything is unclear.
Preparing for appointments with your doctor and making a note of important questions.
Monitoring and discussing your own symptoms, progress or changes.
Setting personal health goals together with your healthcare team.
Integrating treatments and recommendations into your daily life as actively as possible.
Seeking support from family members or healthcare professionals.

What can you do yourself?

Research into self-management identifies various areas in which patients can actively influence their health (Lorig & Holman, 2003):

Understand

The better you understand your condition, the easier it is to make decisions and come to terms with changes.

Example: Ask what factors might make your symptoms better or worse.

Have a say

Your personal goals and circumstances are important when planning your treatment.

Example: Discuss what matters most to you, such as greater mobility, less pain or being able to cope better with the demands of everyday life.

Observe

Spotting changes early on helps you and your treatment team to respond in good time.

Example: Make a note of any symptoms, pain, sleep quality or your energy levels in your day-to-day life.

Implement

Good health is not just achieved in the doctor’s surgery, but above all in everyday life.

For example: regular exercise, getting enough sleep, taking medication as prescribed, or deliberately scheduling periods of rest can all make an important contribution.

Ask questions

Good decisions are based on a shared understanding.

Example: Ask yourself and your treatment team: what options are available to you, whether there are any pros and cons, and which option best suits your personal situation.

Every small step counts

Patient empowerment does not mean doing everything perfectly. It means actively getting involved and developing yourself, one step at a time. Every question, every conscious decision and every action that promotes good health can help to improve your quality of life.

Why not ask yourself the following question in your day-to-day life:

‘What can I do today to have a positive impact on my health or well-being?’

It is often the small, regular steps that make the biggest difference in the long run.

Read our expert interviews

What is the most important contribution a patient can make to their own health?

What is the first step towards taking an active role in managing your own health?

What advice would you give to someone who has just been diagnosed with a chronic condition?

What small dietary change can have a significant impact on health?

Our goal is your health

Patient empowerment is a central component of modern integrated care. Successful treatment is not achieved through medical services alone, but through the interplay of specialist knowledge, shared decision-making and active self-management.

Patients are an important part of the treatment team.

But even the highest level of personal responsibility requires a system that does not look the other way at the crucial moment. Tomorrow, on Day 4, we’ll be looking at handover procedures – the moment that often determines the outcome of everything.

Bibliography

Barlow, J., Wright, C., Sheasby, J., Turner, A., & Hainsworth, J. (2002). Self-management approaches for people with chronic conditions: A review. Patient Education and Counseling, 48(2), 177–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0738-3991(02)00032-0

Barry, M. J., & Edgman-Levitan, S. (2012). Shared decision making—The pinnacle of patient-centered care. New England Journal of Medicine, 366(9), 780–781. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1109283

Bodenheimer, T., Lorig, K., Holman, H., & Grumbach, K. (2002). Patient self-management of chronic disease in primary care. JAMA, 288(19), 2469–2475. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.288.19.2469

Coulter, A., Entwistle, V. A., Eccles, A., Ryan, S., Shepperd, S., & Perera, R. (2015). Personalised care planning for adults with chronic or long-term health conditions. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (3), CD010523. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010523.pub2

Dineen-Griffin, S., Garcia-Cardenas, V., Williams, K., & Benrimoj, S. I. (2019). Helping patients help themselves: A systematic review of self-management support strategies in primary health care practice. PLoS ONE, 14(8), e0220116. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220116

Greene, J., & Hibbard, J. H. (2012). Why does patient activation matter? An examination of the relationships between patient activation and health-related outcomes. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(5), 520–526. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-011-1931-2

Kangovi, S., Mitra, N., Norton, L., Harte, R., Zhao, X., Carter, T., Grande, D., Long, J. A., Asch, D. A., & Shannon, R. (2018). Effect of community health worker support on clinical outcomes of low-income patients across primary care facilities: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(12), 1635–1643. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.4630

Lorig, K. R., & Holman, H. (2003). Self-management education: History, definition, outcomes, and mechanisms. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 26(1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15324796ABM2601_01

Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Ernährung. (2024). Schweizer Ernährungsempfehlungen für Erwachsene. Bern: SGE.

Bundesamt für Gesundheit. (2026). Nichtübertragbare Krankheiten (NCD): Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. Bern: BAG.

Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen. (2025). Schweizer Ernährungsstrategie 2025–2032. Bern: BLV.

World Health Organization. (2025). Health literacy. Geneva: World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2025). Noncommunicable diseases. Geneva: World Health Organization.

World Health Organization. (2026). Self-care for health and well-being. Geneva: World Health Organization.

WHO Regional Office for Europe. (2023). Therapeutic patient education: An introductory guide. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.

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