Establishing patient advocacy in cancer care in Austria: The alliance...

To eliminate potential inefficiencies in Austrian healthcare, it is important to bring the patient perspective to the forefront of cancer care, especially to achieve more efficient processes and better outcomes for cancer patients. However, patient organizations and self-help groups are too divided to have so far, a significant impact on care at different levels of the system. This would enable negotiations with stakeholders at an equal level. The project aimed to establish The Alliance of Oncological Patient Organizations with clearly defined goals, to strengthen the representation of patients and patient advocacy in Austria. The methodology to develop this so called "goal cube" is based on Locke and Latham's goal setting theory, ‘health in all policies’, ‘patientinvolvement’ and ‘coopetition’. A systematic and applied approach, including a literature review and stakeholder research, was used to integrate the Alliance into the national health landscape and ensure its strategic focus.