A recent report by the European Parliament Think Tank (EPRS) highlights the increasing importance of patient-centred approaches in health research and innovation across Europe. The analysis reflects a broader shift toward more inclusive, relevant, and impactful research practices.
Notably, the report also features the Patient Engagement Resource Centre (PERC), jointly developed by EATRIS, the European Patients’ Forum (EPF) and the European AIDS Treatment Group (EATG) through the EATRIS-Plus project, as part of the current European landscape of initiatives supporting patient involvement.
The report presents an assessment of patient engagement in Europe, highlighting the following key considerations:
- Recognition is growing: Patient involvement is increasingly seen as essential to high-quality research
- Implementation remains uneven: Practices vary significantly across countries and research settings
- Structural challenges persist: There is a need for clearer frameworks, guidance, and support
- Future direction: A move toward more systematic and embedded approaches to patient engagement
EATRIS’ approach to patient engagement is centred around three core priorities: supporting patient education to enable more informed and meaningful participation in research, training researchers to effectively incorporate and implement patient engagement in their work, and promoting the co-creation of research with patients across the translational pathway.
These priorities closely align with the key needs identified in the EPRS report, particularly the call for greater consistency, stronger capacity, and more structured approaches to patient engagement. The report reflects a broader shift in the field from fragmented, ad hoc activities toward more systematic and integrated models, as well as a transition from high-level principles to practical implementation in everyday research.
“The report points to a clear need for more consistent, practical and structured approaches to patient involvement across Europe. It’s encouraging to see the EATRIS PERC recognised in this report and shows that efforts like PERC are part of a wider movement across Europe to make patient involvement more practical, structured, and impactful and that we are moving in the right direction.”
— Eliis Keidong, Membership Engagement Officer, EATRIS
