The Bright Side and the Dark Side of Patient Empowerment. Co-creation and Co-destruction of Value in the Healthcare Environment

Patient empowerment as a key component in the future of healthcare systems is the focus of this concise in-depth analysis. It begins by defining patient empowerment as a collaborative partnership linking patients, providers, and systems, and examines the roles of health literacy, provider-patient and system-patient communication, and patient-centered care in the empowerment process. Models of positive and negative empowerment identify optimum conditions when patient and provider participate in service design and delivery as well as pitfalls and risks to patient and system when goals and input are mismatched. The book also translates concepts into practice with guidelines for empowerment strategies at the provider and organization levels to improve patient outcomes and system sustainability.