Patient Health Engagement (PHE) model in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS): monitoring patients' engagement and psychological resilience in minimally invasive thoracic surgery

In the last decade, the humanization of medicine has contributed to an important shift in medical paradigms (from a doctor-centered to a patient-centered approach to care). This paradigm shift promoted a greater acknowledgement of patient engagement as a crucial asset for healthcare due to its benefits on both clinical outcomes and healthcare sustainability. Particularly, patient engagement should be considered a vital parameter for the healthcare system as well as it is a marker of the patients' ability to be resilient to the illness experience and thus to be an effective manager of his/her own health after the diagnosis. For this reason, measuring and promoting patient engagement both in chronic and acute care is today a priority for healthcare systems all over the world. In this contribution, the authors propose the Patient Health Engagement (PHE) model and the PHE scale as scientific and reliable tools to orient clinical actions and organizational strategies based on the patient engagement score. Particularly, this work discusses the implication of the adoption of these scientific tools in the enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) experience and their potentialities for healthcare professionals working in thoracic surgery settings.