title: Expert patients. So you think you know it all?
abstract: The government's proposal to set up an expert patients programme to enable those with chronic illnesses and disabilities to manage their condition is a welcome step towards greater user involvement. The programme should avoid a medical model and take account of patients' social circumstances. The programme must include evaluation. Health professionals in the UK have yet to embrace patient self-management. To date they have been reluctant to refer service users to self-help groups.
authors.affiliation: Health Services Management Centre, Birmingham University.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: McIver
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016730:Program Development; D012648:Self Care; D013222:State Medicine; D006113:United Kingdom