A new role for phenomenology in empowering patients based on quantitative evidence‐based research

This piece illustrates the role of phenomenology in bringing a more nuanced understanding of the lived experience of patients’ values (i.e., of what matters to them) within the remit of quantita- tive empirical medical research, thus contributing to patient em- powerment. We first outline two exemplar studies – respectively, of mental illness and physical illness – and then discuss their wider significance for patient empowerment in evidence-­ based medical research underpinning the personalization agenda.