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Patient engagement has been credited with contributing to improved outcomes and experiences of care. Patient engagement has become a widely used term, but remains a poorly understood concept in healthcare. Citations for the term have increased throughout the healthcare-related disciplines without a common definition. This study seeks to define the concept by identifying its attributes in the context of its use.

A concept analysis of the scientific literature in the health disciplines was performed using the Rogers method.

The analysis revealed four defining attributes of patient engagement: personalization, access, commitment and therapeutic alliance. Patient engagement is defined as the desire and capability to actively choose to participate in care in a way uniquely appropriate to the individual, in cooperation with a healthcare provider or institution, for the purposes of maximizing …