Carolin Sehlbach and 'Partners in Care' team winner of the Marja van Dieijen Award

Of the 20 entries for the Marja van Dieijen Award, the jury nominated five projects. These five entries made a video pitch on which the entire MUMC+ could vote. The votes have been counted. After adding up the score of the audience and the jury, Partners in care came out on top. They have won the first Marja van Dieijen Award worth 25,000 euros. Congratulations!

Partners in Care is based on the power of patient feedback. Patient and partner consultants were trained as a pilot in collaboration with the Stichting Mens Achter de Patiënt. They are involved in the design and implementation of this development process, which creates space to safely request and provide feedback. By involving the patient as the most important stakeholder in the lifelong learning of healthcare professionals, care becomes more people-oriented, while the patient as a partner also becomes stronger as a result.

What appealed to the jury: “It is nice to see that the patient is seen and treated as an equal discussion partner. How to deal with feedback and really listen to each other, is a lifelong learning process. It also fits in nicely with the 'Decision together' program and the focus on people with low health literacy. What we also find valuable about this project is that it can be implemented hospital-wide and that it is, therefore, relevant for all healthcare professionals and patients.”

Due to the corona measures, it was unfortunately not possible to organize a physical award ceremony. The nominees heard last week where they finished, and we made an aftermovie in Dutch language to share this exciting moment.