Influenced by the people-centered integrated care (PCIC) model, Healthy China 2030 was drafted recently with a special concern given to patient engagement. Although there are three levels of engagement (i.e., individual, household, community), patients are more likely to be empowered and activated through an individualistic approach. Thus, engaging patients at the household level appear to have been overlooked so far. Supported by ethical values and practical evidence, this article attempts to address the importance of engaging patients at the household level in shaping the Chinese healthcare system with the PCIC model orientation, and thus recommends four strategies for empowering and activating patients at the household level in the Chinese context.
