Patient engagement: A discussion with Susan Mende of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

[audio m4a="http://healthbb.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/hbdew0013-david-e-williams-interviews-rwjfs-susan-mende.m4a"][/audio]The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is investing in understanding and improving patient engagement. In this podcast interview, Senior Program Officer Susan Mende shares some of the lessons RWJF has learned and points listeners to a variety of resources that the Foundation is making available.We discuss the three components of patient engagement, the role of families, the correlation between higher levels of engagement and patient outcomes, and how Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) communities are pioneering patient engagement approaches.RWJF has also published an issue brief on the topic.—By healthcare business consultant David E. Williams of the Health Business Group