Participatory Medicine Resources for Patients

Becoming an e-patient (individuals who are equipped, enabled, empowered, and engaged in their health and health care decisions) is a continuing journey, one where you are always open to learning and discovering new and better ways of interacting with your healthcare team.

We’ve compiled a list of participatory medicine resources for patients below. In addition to the resources the Society has produced, many of the resources below are produced by other aligned organizations, including the Empowered Patient Coalition who have an additional set of amazing patient resources over at their website, EngagedPatients.

SPM Resources

First-time e-patients may benefit from reading about other e-patients on our blog and checking out e-patient resource articles.

Our member-only forums also offer a great wealth of resources for e-patients.

Would you like to travel to a patient conference? Our patient travel scholarships can help to offset some or most of the cost of your travel expenses.

Rare Disease Resources for Patients, Caregivers & Medical Professionals

Patient Leader Certification Program from Health Union

Sign the Participatory Medicine Manifesto

Choosing a Doctor

The Empowered Patient Coalition Choosing a Doctor Fact Sheet

Be Prepared for Medical Appointments from AHRQ

Tips for Talking to your Doctor from AHRQ

The Doctor-Patient Relationship from American Cancer Society

Choosing a Cancer Doctor for Cancer Patients from American Cancer Society

Communicating with your Doctor from the Family Caregiver Alliance





Speaking Up About Your Medical Care

10 things e-patients say to engage in their care

For patients: collaborating effectively with your clinicians

The Empowered Patient Coalition’s Preparing for Discharge Fact Sheet

SpeakSooner.org is an initiative of the Center for Communication in Medicine. It offers a free Patient’s Guide to Difficult Conversations (PDF version). They also offer a variety of educational programs for patients.

The Joint Commission’s Speak Up in Preventing Medicine Errors (Video)

The Joint Commission’s Speak Up About Your Care (Video)

Five Steps to Safer Healthcare from AHRQ

Become More Involved in your Healthcare from AHRQ

Checklist for Getting the Right Diagnosis from NPSF

Questions to ask your doctor from AHRQ

5 Questions to ask your doctor (PDF) from ABIM Foundation

Know Your Rights from the Joint Commission

Preparing for Surgery: An Anesthesia Checklist from the American Society of Anesthesiologists