Table 1.

Conceptual framework of patient engagement in the design of VA care

Level of the health‐care system where engagement takes place	Patients' roles
	Consultant	Implementation advisor	Equal stakeholder	Lead stakeholder
Local‐level care planning and design decision making	Scenario 1. Patients' input on care planning and design decisions at VA outpatient clinics or hospitals is solicited on an as‐needed basis (e.g. through surveys, focus groups, advisory council meetings)	Scenario 2. Patients' input and care preferences affect the way changes in care delivery processes are implemented at VA outpatient clinics or hospitals	Scenario 3. Patients' input on care planning and design decisions at VA outpatient clinics or hospitals is valued equally to the input of other stakeholders	Scenario 4. Patients' input in care planning and design decisions in VA clinics or hospitals is more influential than the input of other stakeholders
Regional‐level care planning and design decision making	Scenario 5. Patients' input on care planning and design decisions in Veterans Integrated Service Networks (VISNs) is solicited on an as‐needed basis	Scenario 6. Patients' care preferences affect the way changes in care delivery processes are implemented at the VISN level	Scenario 7. Patients' input on care planning and design decisions at the VISN level is valued equally to the input of other stakeholders	Scenario 8. Patients' input on care planning and design decisions at the VISN level is more influential than the input of other stakeholders

This table lists patient engagement scenarios rated by the panellists, which are classified based on the level of the health‐care system and the role patients play during the engagement process.