[Involving Patient Partners: Platforms and Strategies in French-Speaking Switzerland]

The identification of potential patient partners (PP) remains a major challenge for researchers seeking to integrate patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) into their research projects. In the French-speaking part of Switzerland, PPIE groups or platforms have developed various approaches to engage PPs. However, the information required to gain a better understanding of these PPs can be organized into six common dimensions: sociodemographic data, experience with and knowledge of research and PPIE, experiential and technical knowledge of the disease, transversal knowledge and abilities, expectations for partnership, and constraints and availabilities. These dimensions help align the needs of research projects in terms of PPIE with the motivations, knowledge, and skills of the patients.