The Patients Included conference charter provides conference organisers with a framework for putting patients and other healthcare consumers at the heart of their conference planning and delivery. It also helps them to demonstrate that their events are committed to incorporating the experience of patients as experts in living with their condition while ensuring they are neither excluded nor exploited. 
 
The five points of the charter relate to active participation of consumers in the design, planning and delivery of the event; funding and expenses; accommodating disability requirements; and facilitating virtual access where possible.
 
In 2018, our Colloquium adopted the Patients Included charter for the first time. We learned a great deal from this which has been useful while preparing for Cochrane London 2023, which will also be a Patients Included event.

 

Richard Morley, Cochrane's Consumer Engagement Officer, welcomes consumers and explains what to expect:

"Are you a consumer (what Cochrane calls patients, carers and the public) and coming to this year’s Cochrane colloquium?  We’re excited to welcome you, and here’s how we intend to make joining us in London a positive experience.

This year’s conference is a Patients’ Included event. We’ve tried hard at this conference, and at our previous Edinburgh 2018 meeting, to find out what consumers value as part of a big conference experience. bringing together a group of consumers to look at what we’d done previously, and what else we might do differently to make people’s time sat the colloquium a satisfying one.

Here's a summary of what you can expect:

At the heart of our meeting is our programme. You’ll find that there are many workshops, on topics that are important to consumers: special sessions on putting evidence at the centre of everyday life, a workshop introducing you to co-creating evidence, another special session on improving our evidence and support for co-production, a plenary on engagement and involvement, oral presentations and posters on relevant topics.

Perhaps this is your first Colloquium, or you’re looking to link up with fellow consumers. There will be a welcome session on the Sunday before the colloquium starts, opportunities to connect with others in the consumer dedicated space, a consumer meeting where we bring everyone together to discuss issues of common interest, and a WhatsApp group to keep in touch with one another. You can follow events on social media too. There’s an evening social event at the Natural History Museum too.

There will be one-to-one support for you there, and buddying with members of the Consumer Network Executive, and opportunities to check in daily with members of team. If you have concerns about the accessibility of the event, there’s much information here.

We’ve been asked how best to make the most of the experience. So come along, meet people, learn, enjoy yourself, and maybe take away things that can inspire you when you return home. And do remember to look after yourself, take breaks (you don’t have to attend everything), and you don’t have to dress formally.

We’re looking forward to meeting you!"