Introduction PROMOTING PATIENT ENGAGEMENT: FROM THEORY INTO PRACTICE

The key word patient engagement is worldwide becoming a “must do” for academics, industries and policy makers in the healthcare arena. The academic and managerial “buzz” on patient engagement is growing at a dizzying pace. In 2015, 665,300 new web indices were found on Google.com with the key words “patient engagement,” including 1,230 news pages and 6,200 dedicated blogs. During this same period, over 3,500 new academic papers focused on patient engagement (see Figure 1) The idea of patient engagement moves from the assumption that making patients co-producer of their health can enhance their satisfaction towards the healthcare system, as well as their responsibility in care, cure and prevention. A previous Book entitled Promoting Patient Engagement and Participation for Effective Healthcare Reform (Graffigna, 2016) has been dedicated to discuss the clinical and pragmatic value of favoring the active role of patients along their care journey. The different chapters of that Book well testified the different elements and ingredients which may play a role in promoting patient engagement. However, despite this growing 17