Co-creating health care in collaboration with a counselling team and citizens: An action research project on the "Active Patient Support" programme

The action research project is a collaboration between the Zealand Region and the Research Group, Dialogic Communication, Roskilde University and is funded by the Zealand Region. It is designed to further develop the Zealand Region's “Active Patient Support” programme, a person-centred health care initiative in which nurses engage in collaborative telephone counselling conversations with people with chronic illnesses.

The Zealand Region were motivated to initiate the action research project by a wish to strengthen the adherence of the APS programme to “patient-centredness”. According to the Zealand Region’s understanding, “person-centredness” is about collaboration between citizens and counsellors based on principles of mutual respect and learning, the participation of citizens in co-determining the focus and direction of the conversations on the basis of their own preferences and values, and the empowerment of citizens through the acquisition of an enhanced capacity to exercise control of their illnesses in the context of their everyday lives.

The action research project also revolves around collaboration. It was based on a collaborative design that included a series of workshops with Citizens and with the counselling team of nurses.