Patient empowerment

Patient Empowerment

Patient empowerment (pronunciation: /ˈpeɪʃ(ə)nt ɪmˈpaʊəm(ə)nt/) is a process that helps patients gain control over their own health and healthcare decisions. This concept is rooted in the understanding that patients should not be mere recipients of care, but active participants in their health management.

Etymology

The term "patient empowerment" is derived from the words "patient", which comes from the Latin patiens, meaning 'one who suffers', and "empowerment", which originates from the Old French en, meaning 'cause to' and pouvoir, meaning 'can or be able to'. Thus, patient empowerment can be understood as enabling or authorizing the patient to take charge of their health.

Related Terms

• Health Literacy: The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions.
• Shared Decision Making: A collaborative process that allows patients and their providers to make healthcare decisions together, taking into account the best scientific evidence available, as well as the patient's values and preferences.
• Patient Engagement: Involves the actions individuals must take to obtain the greatest benefit from the healthcare services available to them.
• Patient-Centered Care: Healthcare that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.

Importance of Patient Empowerment

Patient empowerment is crucial in modern healthcare as it promotes active participation from the patient in their healthcare journey. It encourages patients to take responsibility for their health and equips them with the knowledge and skills to manage their health conditions effectively. This not only leads to better health outcomes but also improves patient satisfaction and reduces healthcare costs.

Challenges in Patient Empowerment

Despite its importance, patient empowerment faces several challenges. These include lack of health literacy, cultural and language barriers, and lack of access to health information. To overcome these challenges, healthcare providers need to adopt strategies that promote health literacy, cultural competence, and access to health information.

This WikiMD.org article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.