Empowerment in the self-management of diabetes: are we ready to test assumptions?

Abstract

SummaryThis paper describes the origins and definitions of the concept of diabetes empowerment. It summarises why 'compliance' was considered to be a problematic term in diabetes and why it was replaced by 'self-management' which, in turn, paved the way for introducing the concept of empowerment. Although empowerment is a popular and helpful concept and process, it comes with several important underlying assumptions about the health care professional (HCP)-patient encounter, patient understanding, memory and willingness to become empowered, and finally the HCP's view on the validity of the concept. All these assumptions, it is argued, need further testing before the concept and process are fully and wholly embraced in diabetes care across Europe.Eur Diabetes Nursing 2007; 4(3): 94-97.

Patient empowerment: Myths and misconceptions

“…Misconception: Empowerment assumes that HCPs: a) “have communicated information about diabetes care in such a way that patients/recipients of that information receive it successfully, understand it well and will remember it.”, and/or b) “…are in favor of dropping the traditional medical model…for the opportunity to work as equal partners with patients.”(24)…”

Patient‐centred care: barriers and opportunities in the dental surgery

“…Patient-centred care (PCC) (1, 2) patient empowerment and the giving of choice to patients over decisions to do with their health have long been popular ideas in medicine (3)(4)(5). Here, the Institute of Medicine defines PCC as being a process where Providing care.…”

‘First do no harm’: the potential shortfalls of empowerment in diabetes

“…Following on from our previous work 1 on the subject of empowerment and the debate that resulted, 2 in this paper we plan to highlight four areas of potential conflict between the concept of empowerment as it is currently defined and practiced, and the edict that we 'first do no harm'.…”

“…2,4 Clearly, while some patients might want and need responsibility for their own care, not all will be able, or willing, to take on such responsibility -a problem with the empowerment concept that we identified previously. 1 A further serious problem, which arises with this latter definition of diabetes empowerment, is that what patients want and need might clash with the principle that underpins all healthcare interactions, and which proposes that a healthcare professional's (HCPs) primary responsibility has to be to 'first do no harm'.…”