Educational project: Learning from the patient

Introduction Learning from the patient presents a pedagogical experience where patients expert in mental health participate as teachers in the teaching-learning processes. This training activity is a pilot aimed to assess the impact and integration in the study plan of the students following the training course in auxiliary nursing care, Barcelona. Objectives To offer a global vision on mental health problems in order to break the stigma, being the persons affected the main actors. Stress the value of the patient voice and its particular way of living and suffering the illness in order to offer a suitable attention. Promote the integration of expert patients as teachers in the education programs. Methodology The training activity starts with the evaluation of the previous mental health knowledge and believes of the students. Round table with the participation of: – 2 expert patients explain their history of life and how the illness affects their day-to-day life; – 2 mental health professionals explain how they help patients to recover and empower them. Four groups about the impact of illness on a personal, educational, working and social level. Results The expert patients were very optimistic and reinforced their own self-esteem. The students show a more positive attitude towards mental illness and express that patients’ are first PEOPLE, then patients’ Conclusions The expert patients collaborating with professionals are ready to become teachers in the health care academic programs and, specifically, in mental health. Taking into account the patient voice and vision improves the technical, personal and social competences of professionals.