Co-Production, Co-Design and Public Partnership in Person-Centered Health Systems

Person-centered health systems have undergone a major paradigm shift in recent years, emphasizing the essential role of patients, families, carers, and broader communities in shaping the design, governance, and delivery of care. While co-production and co-design were once regarded as innovative, they have increasingly become foundational for creating responsive, equitable, and sustainable health services. Emerging research highlights the transformative potential of inclusive partnership—extending from policy development to frontline service redesign and decision-making. High-profile policy frameworks, calls for lived experience leadership, and systematic reviews now point to improved health outcomes and greater equity when co-production moves beyond consultation to authentic shared power. Nonetheless, the field contends with enduring gaps: tokenism in involvement, unequal representation of under-served groups, power imbalances, and the lack of robust evidence linking participatory approaches to system change or improved health. Debates persist on how to measure and sustain the impact of co-production, particularly across diverse sociopolitical and health system contexts.This Research Topic aims to advance the science and practice of co-production, co-design, and public partnership in person-centered health and care systems. We invite research that explores how different forms of partnership—ranging from co-design of care pathways and governance reform to citizen engagement in policy and integrated care—can drive meaningful improvements in care quality, equity, access, and satisfaction. Of particular interest are studies that develop and evaluate methods for authentic engagement, assess the impact of partnership on service or policy change, and address challenges including power dynamics, representation, and the involvement of marginalized communities. The Research Topic seeks to bring together contributions from researchers, policymakers, lived experience leaders, and practitioners from diverse settings and system types, fostering cross-context dialogue and methodological advancement.This Research Topic targets work that moves beyond tokenistic involvement and instead foregrounds conceptual rigor, methodological innovation, and demonstrated impact on systems, policy, or practice. General discussions of patient involvement are considered out of scope unless they contribute new evidence, frameworks, or approaches for authentic participation and change. To gather further insight into the evolving field of partnership in health systems, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:· Co-production in service redesign· Co-design of care pathways· Patient and public involvement in governance· Partnership in policy development· Citizen engagement in health systems· Evaluating impact of co-production and co-design· Under-represented groups and inclusive participation· Methods for authentic partnership and engagement· Power, representation, and shared decision-making· Co-production in integrated care contextsSubmissions must go beyond tokenistic involvement and demonstrate clear conceptual framing, robust methods, and evidence of impact on practice, governance, policy, or service change. Topic editors: Margaret McGladrey, Jaameeta Kurji, Robyn Clay-Williams Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/81149/co-production-co-design-and-public-partnership-in-person-centered-health-systems