Osteopathic educators' attitudes and beliefs towards patient empowerment as part of the patient-centred approach; a qualitative enquiry using semi-structured interviews.

Item

Title
Osteopathic educators' attitudes and beliefs towards patient empowerment as part of the patient-centred approach; a qualitative enquiry using semi-structured interviews.
Author(s)
Cassina, L
Abstract
Objective: The concept of patient empowerment is relatively new in the medical literature and osteopathic research, and definitions of the concept are still being investigated. This study aims to explore the meaning osteopathic educators attribute to patient empowerment through investigating tutors' and teachers' attitudes and beliefs towards patient empowerment from a personal, and also clinical point of view (includes but is not limited to patient-centeredness; patient-practitioner relationship and shared decision-making); osteopathic educators' opinions concerning the understanding that undergraduate students have of the concept; and, finally, how educators transmit this concept to their students. Design: A qualitative phenomenological approach was employed using semi-structured interviews. The data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and anonymised. Methods: Seven of the initial ten interviews were selected for their validity and reliability. An initial interview was used as pilot, and two additional interviews had to be discarded due to compromised data. Inclusion criteria were graduated osteopath active within the educational system. Exclusion criteria were educator with less than one year's experience in teaching, non-osteopathic educators, osteopaths without teaching activity. Data were transcribed verbatim and coded, and the results presented in narrative form. Results: Analysis of the data shows that educators are strongly in favour of the notion of patient empowerment, but differ in their opinion concerning its clinical application at the undergraduate level. The general view is that a more formal integration of the concept within the curriculum can be achieved, as supportive components are already present for its promotion. Currently, from the educators' subjective perception, there is little concrete evidence that it is being consciously integrated by the student. More research is required to evaluate students' awareness of this component of their clinical practice within the curriculum. The results also show a strong link with the concepts of patient-centredness, shared decision-making and the patient-practitioner relationship. Discussion: Not all participants agreed as to what elements of practice are covered by the term "patient empowerment", which reflects the situation illustrated in the wider literature. However, they all agreed about the importance of having such elements at the undergraduate level, and that these elements should be reinforced. There were some differences of opinion concerning whether the implementation of these aspects of Practice needed to be done at formal level or remain informal. Conclusion: Educators within the study consider patient empowerment to be an important aspect of osteopathic practice, but have diverging opinions concerning the degree it needs to be implemented at the undergraduate degree. Patient-practitioner communication and patient-practitioner partnership are two recurrent themes across all the participants. These can be understood as key interactions with the concept of patient empowerment.
presented at
European School of Osteopathy
Date Accepted
2015
Date Submitted
2.12.2016 16:54:59
Type
osteo_thesis
Language
English
Submitted by:
62
Pub-Identifier
15887
Inst-Identifier
1229
Keywords
patient-centered; patient education; patient empowerment; shared decision-making.
Recommended
0
Item sets
Thesis

Cassina, L, “Osteopathic educators' attitudes and beliefs towards patient empowerment as part of the patient-centred approach; a qualitative enquiry using semi-structured interviews.”, Osteopathic Research Web, accessed May 4, 2025, https://www.osteopathicresearch.com/s/orw/item/594