Background:User involvement is increasingly important in developing relevant health care services. The aim ofthis study was to contribute to a deeper understanding of user involvement and patients’experiential knowledgeas recognized and incorporated into clinical practice by rehabilitation professionals.Methods:A qualitative design using a grounded theory approach was applied. Data were collected byobservations of the interprofessional meetings at two rehabilitation units treating patients with traumatic braininjury and multiple trauma and by individual semi-structured interviews with rehabilitation professionals.Results:The professionals recognized and incorporated user involvement into clinical practice as formal orauthentic. Formal user involvement was sometimes considered pro forma. Incorporating patient’experientialknowledge was considered a part of authentic user involvement. Possible gaps between the patients’experientialknowledge and professional expertise were recognized. Challenges included dealing with‘artifacts’, sources ofinformation external to the patients’own experiences, and addressing the patients’possibly reduced insight due totrauma.Conclusion:Patients’experiential knowledge was recognized as an essential component of the professionals’knowledge base. The professionals considered user involvement and patients’experiential knowledge as part oftheir clinical practice. Implementation of user involvement and contribution of patients’experiential knowledgecould be improved by understanding the issues raised in practice, such as possible negative consequences of userinvolvement in form of burdening or disempowering the patients. A better understanding of the characteristics andmeasures of user involvement is necessary in order to be able to offer its full benefits for both the patients and theprofessionals.
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