The Potential of Citizen Science for an Inclusive, Healthy and Long-Living Society

The principles of open science, community involvement and citizen science are increasingly adopted the worldwide and in Slovenia. By involving the community and citizen or lay science, open science significantly contributes to improving the literacy of decision-makers on matters of common interest. In Slovenia, citizen science remains an untapped source of applied knowledge for the further development of inclusive healthcare and a long-lived society. Accordingly, this article presents citizen science as an integral part of the promising concept of open science in healthcare, as the lay public – including patients, individuals, volunteers, and groups – in cooperation with medical science and experts, is already significantly involved in various phases of research and service implementation. This paper presents examples of citizen science using the narrative research method of telling “micro” stories. These stories describe real-life situations in which the participation of citizen researchers and patients contributes to research and professionalisation in healthcare. Good practice in citizen science can simultaneously contribute to a long-lived society, promote creativity and trust between the public and healthcare institutions, strengthen intergenerational cooperation, and support the increasingly important digital inclusion of the population.