Empowerment through Peer Support for People with Illnesses and Disabilities
Empowerment through Peer Support for People with Illnesses and Disabilities
Friday, 11 July 2025: 15:00-16:45
Location: FSE030 (Faculty of Education Sciences (FSE))
RC15 Sociology of Health (host committee) Language: English
In recent years, the status of patients in healthcare has been changing. One such change is that patients are not only recipients of healthcare, but are empowered to collaborate with healthcare providers, medical researchers, pharmaceutical companies, etc. This is known as peer support or "patient and public involvement (PPI). Peer support is important because it allows patients to share experiences and knowledge and encourage each other to improve care and quality of life, while PPI indicates the need for patients and the general public to participate in medical research and drug development. A "patient" in this context is not just a recipient of health care, a research subject, or a client, but also a person who is an independent individual, a citizen, a consumer, or an active decision maker. The rise of such PPI and peer support can be attributed to changes in the social context in which patients and medical and health professionals are situated. It has been pointed out that these changes include criticism of the previous healthcare system and changing patient needs. Digitalization has also facilitated access to medical knowledge and increased connections between patients.
What is the patient in the Anthropocene? What should people's knowledge and skills about health and life look like? How do we view health and medical disparities in regions and countries? We would like to discuss with you what justice means in health and medical care.
Session Organizer:
Oral Presentations