Partnering with Patients, Families, and Caregivers in Nephrology Nursing Research

Nurses value patient- and family-centered care as one of the most important elements of nursing, and as such, these foundations are embedded into nursing practice and theory. Patient engagement in health research, as an evolution of patient- and family-centered care, has emerged as a critical new way of doing research over the last several years. However, the benefit, value, and exploration of ways in which patient partnerships can be built within the context of nephrology nursing research are still relatively new. This article describes patient-centered outcomes research, discusses how patients can be involved throughout the research process, and provides examples for effective partnerships in nephrology nursing research.