Patient activation refers to a person’s ability to self-care, including the knowledge, skills and confidence to participate in their own health care journey.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines self-care as “the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, and maintain health and to cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a health-care provider.”
Although patient activation and self-care concepts aren’t new, operationalising these concepts across health systems involves large-scale reform. Successful implementation, especially at a national level, requires a validated, evidence-based tool such as the Patient Activation Measure® (PAM®).