Ireland ranks poorly for patient power

THE patient is not at the centre of Ireland’s healthcare system, an international survey has found, and patients here are among the least empowered in Europe.

Denmark tops the list giving patients power over their information and rights that allows them make active choices in their care.

The report places Ireland in 20th place in the 31 countries surveyed by the Health Consumer Powerhouse, a Brussels-based company that evaluates health systems throughout Europe. Its advice for Ireland is to provide consumers with a catalogue giving quality rankings for hospitals and health care professionals to help patients make a choice. The report says that money is not the only thing that matters when it comes to patient empowerment.