Patient empowerment: myths and misconceptions
Open accessAbstract
Objective The purpose of this article is to clarify the concept of empowerment and to correct common misconceptions about its use in diabetes care and education.Methods The patient empowerment approach is well suited to helping patients make self-selected changes related to weight, nutrition, and physical activity. Although the concept of patient empowerment has become an integral part of diabetes education, an accurate understanding and authentic application of empowerment has not occurred as readily. The empowerment approach is clarified and common misconceptions have been corrected.Results Embracing empowerment means making a paradigm shift that is often difficult because the traditional approach to care is embedded in the training and socialization of most health care professionals (HCPs).Conclusion Unlike the traditional approach, empowerment is not something one does to patients. Rather, empowerment begins when HCPs acknowledge that patient are in control of their daily diabetes care. Empowerment occurs when the HCPs goal is to increase the capacity of patients to think critically and make autonomous, informed decisions. Empowerment also occurs when patients are actually making autonomous, informed decisions about their diabetes self-management.Practice implications Clarity about all aspects of the empowerment approach is essential if it is to be used effectively.
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This approach empowers patients with FCS to discover and use their own innate ability to gain mastery over their disease.
“This approach empowers patients with FCS to discover and use their own innate ability to gain mastery over their disease.62”
From Familial chylomicronemia syndrome: Bringing to life dietary recommendations throughout the life span (2018) · cites this paper as [62]
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- Authors
- Anderson, R. M., & Funnell, M. M.
- Affiliations
- University of Michigan (US)
- Corresponding author
- Anderson, Robert M.
- Venue
- Patient Education and Counseling
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2010-06
- Volume
- 79
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 277-282
- ISSN
- 0738-3991 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2879465
- OpenAlex
- W2040605357
- Cited by
- 846
- References
- 28
- Citations by year
- 2026: 29 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 48 · 2023: 53 · 2022: 46 · 2021: 57 · 2020: 42 · 2019: 61 · 2018: 53 · 2017: 65 · 2016: 70 · 2015: 87 · 2014: 59 · 2013: 55 · 2012: 41
- FWCI
- 19.85
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Patient Education and Counseling (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (5r18dk062323-04)
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (P60DK020572, 1R18 DK062323-01, R18 DK062323)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes Management and Education
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Health Literacy and Information Accessibility
- Keywords
- patient empowerment, diabetes education, diabetes self-management, patient autonomy, informed decision-making, health professions education
- MeSH terms
- Body Weight, Communication, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, Humans, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Motor Activity, Nutritional Status, Patient Education as Topic, Physician-Patient Relations, Power, Psychological, Quality of Life, Self Care, Disease Management
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