title: Choosing Healthcare Options by Involving Canada's Elderly: a protocol for the CHOICE realist synthesis project on engaging older persons in healthcare decision-making.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While patient and citizen engagement has been recognised as a crucial element in healthcare reform, limited attention has been paid to how best to engage seniors-the fastest growing segment of the population and the largest users of the healthcare system. To improve the healthcare services for this population, seniors and their families need to be engaged as active partners in healthcare decision-making, research and planning. This synthesis aims to understand the underlying context and mechanisms needed to achieve meaningful engagement of older adults in healthcare decision-making, research and planning.
  
  
  METHODS
  The CHOICE Knowledge Synthesis Project: Choosing Healthcare Options by Involving Canada's Elderly aims to address this issue by synthesising current knowledge on patient, family, and caregiver engagement. A realist synthesis will support us to learn from other patient and citizen engagement initiatives, from previous research, and from seniors, families and caregivers themselves. The synthesis will guide development or adaptation of a framework, leading to the development of best practice guidelines and recommendations for engagement of older people and their families and caregivers in clinical decision-making, healthcare delivery, planning and research.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The components of this protocol involving consultation with patients or caregivers have received ethics clearance from the University of Waterloo, Office of Research Ethics (ORE#19094). After completion of the project, we will amalgamate the information collected into a knowledge synthesis report which will include best practice guidelines and recommendations for patient, family and caregiver engagement in clinical and health system planning and research contexts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Will be further disseminated to citizens, clinicians, researchers and policymakers with the help of our partners.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  CRD42015024749.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Stolee
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jacobi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: McNeil
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada School of Health and Life Sciences and Community Services, Conestoga College, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Veronique
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Boscart
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada Schlegel-UW Research Institute for Aging, Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: George A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Heckman
authors.affiliation: Library Services, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.affiliation: Guelph-Wellington Seniors Association, Guelph, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hedley
authors.affiliation: Patients Canada, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sholom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Glouberman
authors.affiliation: Canadian Foundation for Healthcare Improvement, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Judd
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D017028:Caregivers; D003657:Decision Making; D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D005190:Family; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D012196:Review Literature as Topic
keywords: citizen engagement; decision-making; patient engagement; realist synthesis; seniors