Patientenpartizipation in der Nationalen Dekade gegen Krebs

Active patient involvement in research and development as well as healthcare policy is no longer just a demand that has been voiced by patients and patient organizations for several years but rather has become an essential element of the healthcare system. Patient involvement not only has the potential to lead to better healthcare and higher patient satisfaction but also to align cancer research and patient care more closely with unmet patient needs rather than institutional or clinical priorities. Patient involvement is anchored in an exemplary political and collaborative manner, for example, in the German National Decade Against Cancer (NDK) and its Alliance for Patient Participation, which have set themselves the goal of improving cancer research in collaboration with patient organizations. The NDK has identified this as a strategic priority action and implemented it as part of funding calls, funded research projects, the PEAK Patient Academy, and the expansion of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT). In the second half of the NDK, further important initiatives have now been launched, such as a new focus on cancer survivorship and the establishment of bridges to important EU cancer programs. Patient involvement, implemented as an interface between those affected, research and development, and healthcare policy, requires solid methods, new skills, interdisciplinary cooperation, and a high level of political commitment. The NDK was amongst the first initiatives in Germany to implement patient involvement in an exemplary and holistic manner.