[Participation of patients in the program for national disease management guidelines--current state and implications].

Patient involvement has been implemented in the Program for National Disease Management Guidelines since 2005. Currently patient/consumer participation is being incorporated in terms of patients' comments of consultation papers on National Disease Management Guidelines (NDMG) and in the development of NDMG-based patient guidelines (PG). The editorial activities in patient guideline development from the beginnings to its publication are conducted in close cooperation with the patient representatives appointed by the Patient Forum. Between June 2005 and September 2006, three NDMG and three patient guidelines on asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic coronary artery disease (CAD) were produced by including patients in the guideline development process. The information provided in these guidelines is freely accessible at http://www.versorgungsleitlinien.de. The present contribution focuses on the development of patient guidelines. It describes the current state of patient involvement and joint work and indicates the implications that can be derived from patient participation in the NDMG Program. Accompanying the involvement procedures, experiences resulting from previous NDMG and PG development activities are continuously investigated for the possibility of further methodological development of consumer participation by a work group of the Patient Forum in coordination with the patient organizations involved. In particular, the procedures resulting from more intensive patient participation in patient guideline development are to be examined as to their relevance for the expansion of patient involvement in NDMG development.