Patient Advocacy and the Policy Making Process

Abstract

Recent developments in the policy-making literature and practice have highlighted the growing role of patient advocacy, that is, the participation of patients in policy making through the presence of their representatives at institutional working tables. This chapter has a twofold aim: (1) to frame the activity of patient organizations' advocacy into the public management and administration theory and (2) to describe how patients' organizations can participate to the public policy making from an operational point of view. The chapter starts by providing background information about patient advocacy. Then it introduces the core literature streams of public management and administration. Finally, a feedback analysis shows possible policy cycles linking patient-aided steps of interactive policy making.