Increasing patient centredness in outpatient care through closer collaboration with patient groups?: an exploratory study on the views of health care professionals working in quality management for office-based physicians in Germany.

In Germany, "self-help friendliness" is an upcoming popular concept for the promotion of patient centredness through closer cooperation of health care services with self-help groups of chronically ill and/or disabled patients and their relatives. The study aimed at gathering information from physicians with special expertise in quality management on opportunities for and barriers against introducing more collaboration between physicians and self-help groups in outpatient care.