Installment 3: How do you empower patients?

We all strive to empower our patients in order to achieve better self-management. However, the interesting thing about empowerment is that there is actually no clear method to define, deliver or measure it.

Upon closer observation, this should come as no surprise. Considering the many variables in play, from each provider’s individual style, to each patient’s internal and external needs, it is impossible to develop a formula that will deliver patient empowerment.

Empowerment is more like a discovery process, whereby what is learned about a specific patient provides clues as to what he or she may need to increase their capacity and confidence to make their own choices and, ultimately, convert those choices into desired actions and outcomes.

The discovery process must start with collaboration between the healthcare professional and the patient. In my own practice, it starts when I engage in a meaningful dialogue designed to determine what specific disease management objectives resonate most with that specific patient. I strive to make it a collaborative discussion rather than the delivery of didactic disease state management objectives that could apply to anyone. This is the first step in establishing a model that is more in keeping with personalized consultation which opens the door to establishing a mutual agreement on specific objectives, short and long term goals, and performance evaluation for both of us.

From there, I look for observable signs that would indicate the patient feels some sense of empowerment. These may include the patient’s ability to:
• Make decisions about personal circumstances
• Access information and consider a range of options
• Exercise assertiveness and positive-thinking
• Learn new skills
• Inform others about personal needs
• Be actively involved in their own growth process
• Change his / her self-image
• Overcome personal barriers

Seeing signs of the above would show that we are headed down a productive path to empowerment. Conversely, a lack of any of these indicators, lets me know that I need to re-engage the patient to better understand their unique needs and circumstances.

In the end, we all know that empowered patients achieve better outcomes, but it is important to remember that each patient is unique, and so too is what may be required for them to feel empowered.

For me, empowerment comes out of a process of discovery. I’d like to know what works for you. How do you empower patients?

Barbara