# Results of a patient engagement training for health advisors: a study of self-perceived competency enhancements

## TL;DR

A patient engagement training course improved healthcare consultants' self-perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes, especially among lower- to mid-level staff.

## Contribution

This study evaluates the first tailored patient engagement training for healthcare consultants and demonstrates its effectiveness.

## Key findings

- Consultants showed significant improvements in self-perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes after the training.
- The greatest gains were in knowledge, followed by skills and attitudes.
- Lower- to mid-level consultants, especially associates, experienced the most notable improvements.

## Abstract

In recent years, there has been increasing recognition of the importance of patient engagement (PE) in the healthcare industry, especially throughout the product development lifecycle. However, there is limited research on the influence of PE training on the attitudes, knowledge, and skills of health advisors working in the life sciences, who have a substantial effect on decisions made throughout the product lifecycle in the healthcare industry. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a patient engagement training course tailored to healthcare consultants, focusing on changes in self-perceived knowledge, skills and attitudes before and after training.

Eighty healthcare consultants of varying seniority levels from a single company based throughout the U.S. and Europe completed a six-part online training course on patient engagement. The training covered various concepts, and the participants were assessed via a modified evidence-based practice questionnaire before and after the course to measure changes in self-perceived knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The study used paired samples t-tests and bivariate Pearson's correlation analyses to evaluate the differences.

Following the training, the consultants reported significant improvements in their perceived KSAs toward patient engagement (PE). The most substantial increase was observed in knowledge scores, followed by skills and attitudes. These improvements were particularly notable among lower- to mid-level consultants, especially associate consultants. The training highlighted the need to further health advisors' understanding of PE and the opportunity training can provide.

Patient engagement (PE) training significantly improves healthcare consultants' self-perceived knowledge and skills while increasing attitudes and promoting patient-centered approaches throughout the life science industry. This study highlights the importance of standardized PE training programs in enhancing healthcare outcomes and advocates for the integration of patient engagement in healthcare research and development.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40900-025-00711-5.

In recent years, the healthcare industry has realized how important it is to engage or involve patients when creating healthcare products and doing research. This approach is called patient engagement or involvement. Although there are training courses on how to engage patients throughout the research lifecycle, there are no courses specifically targeted toward health advisors. A healthcare advisor or consultant is a professional who provides guidance to companies conducting projects throughout the product development lifecycle. This article describes the testing of a training course to teach advisors working in the life sciences and healthcare field about patient engagement. The researchers wanted to see if healthcare consultants from a single company with teams in the U.S. and Europe thought their knowledge, skills, and attitudes on patient engagement would improve after taking a course. They gave participants a test to measure their knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after the course. After the course, the consultants perceived themselves as more knowledgeable, skilled, and positive about including patients in research. Overall, this study shows that a targeted training program, including relevant business cases, can potentially help health advisors improve their ability when engaging patients throughout the product development process.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40900-025-00711-5.