Table 1.

Focus Group guide for the exploratory phase with health professionals.

Presentation (5 min)

Name of the professional, specialty and association with empowerment.

Define the stages of the Patient Journey Map (5 min)

We predefined 4 stages of IHD to take into account in the Patient Journey Map: pre-diagnosis, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. What would the key moments within these stages be that define patient care (e.g. pre-diagnosis: tests before first symptoms)?

For each stage (5 minutes per stage)

What is happening right now?

Where and how do patients access care?

What should patients do at this time (basic clinical aspects)?

Empowerment needs

The European EMPATHiE project defines the empowered patient as one who “has control over the management of their disease/s on a daily basis, acts to improve their quality of life and has the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes and self-perceptions to adjust their behaviour – and work in a partnership with others when necessary – to achieve optimal well-being.”

The empowerment interventions are aimed at equipping patients (and their informal caregivers, when appropriate) with the ability to participate in decisions related to their disease to the degree they want, to become “co-managers” of their disease together with health professionals, develop self-confidence, self-esteem and skills to face the physical, emotional and social impact of the disease in their daily life.

For each stage (less than 10 minutes per stage)

What do you think are the main barriers to self-care and care in this stage?

What do they need to empower themselves? What information do they need?