The expert patient: issues and implications for community nurses

First highlighted in "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation" (Department of Health, 1999), the Expert Patient programme is now being piloted throughout England and Wales. The programme is focused on helping individuals to self-manage their long-term condition more effectively. While acknowledging the expertise an individual brings to the management of their condition, the programme seeks to further develop these skills with the aim of reducing incapacitation and increasing symptom control and self-esteem. As this is a lay-led programme it is unlikely that community nurses will have an explicit role within the initiative. However, all community nurses have significant input with individuals with long-term conditions and will know clients whom they would term as expert. Following an outline of the initiative, this article presents a number of case scenarios and seeks to explore some of the issues that patients, families and practitioners face when dealing with the concept of "expert patient".