Healthcare innovation greatly benefits from the proactive inclusion of patients. Here we outline the importance of patients as co-creators of healthcare technology, providing insight into patient community engagement and resources for inclusion of the public and patients.
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S.B. wrote the manuscript, and the other authors contributed to discussion of the content and to preparing the final version.
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S.B. is the CEO founder of PersonalPulse. J.G. is the founder and CEO of Patvocates. M.M. is an employee and shareholder of F. Hoffmann-La Roche.
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Related links
11 Health Technology: https://www.11health.com/
Academic and industry training resources: https://eupati.eu/eupati-learning-lab/
Diabetes technology and monitoring: https://expmag.com/2019/11/the-diabetes-patients-who-hacked-a-pancreas/
European Medicines Agency (EMA): https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/partners-networks/patients-consumers#related-documents-18041
European Patients’ Academy on Therapeutic Innovation (EUPATI): https://eupati.eu/
Exubera: https://www.science.org/content/blog-post/exubera-safety-and-no-guarantees
Good Lay Summary Practice (GLSP): https://glsp.network/
IMI Prefer Project: https://www.imi-prefer.eu/w/ip/publications/deliverables
Innovative Health Initiative (IHI): https://www.ihi.europa.eu/
James Lind Alliance: https://www.jla.nihr.ac.uk/
Journal of Patient Experience: https://journalpatientexperience.org/
Medicines R&D: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6190844/figure/F1/
Michael J. Fox Foundation: https://www.michaeljfox.org/
Michael Seres: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/02/michael-seres-patient-who-invented-smart-ostomy-bag-dies-at-51.html
Network of Cancer Patient Organisations in Europe (WECAN) academy: https://wecanadvocate.eu/academy/
PALADIN consortium resource repository: https://sites.tufts.edu/paladinconsortium/getting-started-copy/
Patient Engagement Open Forum (PEOF): https://patientengagement.synapseconnect.org/initiatives/patient-engagement-open-forum-peof
Patient expert training: https://learning.eupati.eu/
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): https://www.pcori.org/engagement-research/engagement-resources
Patient-Focused Medicine (PFMD): https://patientfocusedmedicine.org/
Patvocates: https://www.patvocates.net/
PersonalPulse: https://www.personalpulse.com/
PPI Ignite: https://ppinetwork.ie/resource/
Training in PPI: https://www.learningforinvolvement.org.uk/
US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): https://www.fda.gov/drugs/development-approval-process-drugs/cder-patient-focused-drug-development
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Gomes, V.P., May, M., Geissler, J. et al. The power of public and patient involvement in healthcare innovation. Nat Rev Bioeng (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00315-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s44222-025-00315-4
