The World Health Organization (WHO) defines Empowerment for Health as ‘a process through which people gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health. Empowerment may be a social, cultural, psychological or political process through which individuals and social groups are able to express their needs, present their concerns, devise strategies for involvement in decision-making, and achieve political, social and cultural action to meet those needs.’

This Patient Empowerment Mini-Series, aimed at health and social care workers and service leads, presented by the International Foundation for Integrated Care, IFIC Ireland, in partnership with the Centre for Empowerment of People and Communities (CEmPaC) will examine the area of Patient Empowerment and the role it plays in achieving true integrated care.

This first session, on Thursday, 28 January at 15'30 (GMT), will serve as an introduction to the area with Jim Phillips of CEmPaC speaking about the work of the organisation to promote and develop the empowerment of patients and health professionals and inform policy makers on the benefits of patients and health professionals working in partnership to improve health and healthcare. Dr Austin O’Carroll, SafetyNet Primary Care and North Dublin City GP Training, will describe his experience of improving homeless peoples participation and how his work as an ethnographic researcher has informed and changed his practice through deeper understanding of his patients’ issues and perspectives.

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