Engaging Socially Excluded Individuals and Communities in Healthcare

Abstract

People who are socially excluded may be disadvantaged in many ways and lack the resources to engage in social and community activities that are taken for granted by other citizens. Central to individual approaches to engagement of excluded groups in healthcare is the adoption of a personalized approach that focuses on the patient as a person, respecting their personal experiences and story, promotes their sense of identity and independence, and involves them in a partnership with professionals. This alone is not sufficient, and we also need to consider the role of community participation. The Connected Communities program provides evidence for a way of improving our understanding of the potential role of community and social networks to advance citizenship opportunity