Giving patients a voice: experiences that matter. Patients are central to health communication, not just as recipients, but as active contributors who shape how health is understood and communicated. This session focuses on how listening to patients can build trust, improve understanding, and guide meaningful action.
A new generation of patients is transforming this role by creating foundations and building influential communities through social media and active media presence. By turning lived experience into collective action, they raise awareness, address unmet needs, and shape public and research agendas, while also challenging traditional communication models.
What we will explore:
- How patients shape communication as active contributors, not just receivers
- The rise of patient-led foundations and social media advocacy
- Using social media and live testimonies to foster trust
- The opportunities and challenges of influential patient voices
- The consequences of hearing, or ignoring, patients in real time
