People-centred health systems in the WHO European Region: voices of patients and carers

2015
This publication is a collection of personal stories describing experiences in health systems associated with improved health and well-being. While these examples are not intended to replace technical guidance on how to organize, finance or deliver health and social services, they emphasize people-centred approaches from the perspective of patients and carers.

The motivation for presenting these stories is to strengthen the voices of those directly impacted by the workings of the health system and to give a snapshot of what people-centred health services mean to them in practice. In doing so, the WHO Regional Office for Europe aims to encourage policy-makers and health professionals to take the perspective of service users and to see through their eyes what works and what needs improvement.

Actively listening to patients, families and communities in order to design health systems that are more responsive to people's needs is a growing priority for governments worldwide. This publication serves as an open invitation to health leaders to embrace an inclusive approach that harnesses feedback from citizens to drive system-wide improvements.