Patient Empowerment: A Critique of Individualism and Systematic Review of Patient Perspectives

Psychological empowerment, with its roots in community psychology, has been defined to encompass three constructs: critical awareness of power structures, perceived control over one ’s life, and citizen participation [1]. However, patient empowerment is most commonly defined as “helping patients discover and develop the inherent capacity to be responsible for one’s own life” [2]. These definitions highlight more than a difference in semantics. How empowerment is defined can influence how it is understood in relation to patient behaviors, and ultimately, who has responsibility to implement changes that promote patient empowerment.
Source: Patient Education and Counseling - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Review article Source Type: research