Patient Empowerment

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Introduction:

Patient Empowerment  

The recognition of a patient’s powerlessness or sense of powerlessness is where empowerment begins. The patient asking for help is challenged by a lack of self-efficacy to manage their recovery. The suffering of those in need of healthcare and rehabilitation exemplifies this relationship between patient / client and physical therapists, which is where the facilitation of empowerment begins. Empowerment as a process requires self-mastery and the ability to transcend through suffering by challenging adversity.1,2,3

Suffering is an existential frustration associated with an unavoidable experience that threatens existence and loss of personal autonomy. Suffering is commonly associated with pain. People in pain frequently report suffering when they feel chronic, dire, out of control, overwhelming, or unknown.4 However, pain by itself does not cause one to suffer. The perception of the pain and how it demands more of the person than they can manage better defines the nature of suffering. 4,5

References

1. Tedeschi, R. G., & Calhoun, L. G. (2004). " Posttraumatic growth: conceptual foundations and empirical evidence". Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1-18.  
2. Walsh, F. (2007). Traumatic loss and major disasters: Strengthening family and community resilience. Family Process, 46(2), 207-227.
3. VanderWeele, T. J. (2019). Suffering and response: Directions in empirical research. Social Science & Medicine, 224, 58-66.
4. Cassell, E. J. (1998). The nature of suffering and the goals of medicine. Loss, Grief & Care, 8(1-2), 129-142.
5. Trachsel, L. A., Munakomi, S., & Cascella, M. (2021). Pain theory. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing.
6. Ajzen, I. (2002, January 1). Perceived Behavioral Control, Self-Efficacy, Locus of Control, and the Theory of Planned Behavior. JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, 32(4), 665–683.
7. Deci, E. L., and Ryan, R. M. (2000). The ‘‘what’’ and ‘‘why’’ of goal pursuits: human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychol. Inquiry 11, 227–268. doi: 10.1207/S15327965PLI1104_01
8. Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1980). Self-determination Theory: When Mind Mediates Behavior. The Journal of Mind and Behavior, 1(1), 33–43.
9. Di Domenico, S. I., & Ryan, R. M. (2017). The Emerging Neuroscience of Intrinsic Motivation: A New Frontier in Self-Determination Research. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2017.00145
10. Howland, T. and McGuire, C. (2020). The development of intelligent behavior III: Robert W. White. Psychology in the Schools, 5, 230–239.
11. Crom, A., Paap, D., Wijma, A., Dijkstra, P. U., & Pool, G. (2020). Between the Lines: A Qualitative Phenomenological Analysis of the Therapeutic Alliance in Pediatric Physical Therapy. Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 40(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1080/01942638.2019.1610138
12. Unsgaard-Tondel M, Soderstrom S. Therapeutic Alliance: Patients’ Expectations Before and Experiences After Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain--A Qualitative Study With 6-Month Follow-Up. PTJ: Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Journal [Internet]. 2021 Nov 1 [cited 2023 Apr 1];101(11):1f. Available from: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=ip,shib&db=edsgao&AN=edsgcl.697168676&site=eds-live
13. Riva, G., Gaggioli, A., Gorini, A., Carelli, L., Repetto, C., Algeri, D., & Vigna, C. (2009). Virtual reality as an empowering environment for personal change: the contribution of the applied technology for neuro-psychology laboratory. Anuario de psicología, 40(2), 171-192.
14. Aujoulat, I., d’Hoore, W., & Deccache, A. (2007). Patient empowerment in theory and practice: polysemy or cacophony?. Patient Education and Counseling, 66(1), 13-20.
15. Funnell, M. M., & Anderson, R. M. (2004). Empowerment and self-management of diabetes. Clinical diabetes, 22(3), 123-128.