Is it time to finally empower Patients?

We’ve all seen it - the patient sitting silent in the exam room, passively receiving instructions without understanding or engagement. Care happens to patients, not with them. But what if it didn’t have to be this way?

Patient empowerment is gaining steam through patient-centered care models, shared decision making, health literacy efforts, and peer support programs. But system-wide change remains gradual. How can we accelerate culture shifts to reframe patients as active partners instead of clueless recipients of care?

Empowerment requires restructuring relationships and redistributing power. This threatens historically paternalistic systems, so change won’t come easily. But evidence shows empowered patients have better outcomes and lower costs. This should spur us to dismantle barriers.

For patients, empowerment means acquiring knowledge to make informed choices, voicing needs and preferences, developing self-care skills, shaping health decisions collaboratively with providers, and cultivating motivation and self-efficacy. Care teams can nurture empowerment through tools like teach-back, motivational interviewing, goal setting, peer mentoring and health coaching.

Of course, true empowerment is impossible without addressing access issues. We must provide transportation, interpreter services, financial assistance and care navigation. And we need more positive depictions of empowered patients in popular culture - let’s swap the stereotype of the helpless, dependent patient for one of the engaged change agent.

Examples like shared decision-making around breast cancer treatment, peer health educator programs for diabetes management, and community health workers addressing social needs showcase empowerment improving care experiences and outcomes. But these remain isolated models - empowerment is far from the norm.

Health care won’t transform until patients can author their care journeys. This will require systemic restructuring, so we need more research on empowerment interventions, advocacy to change payment incentives, training to enhance providers’ mindsets and communication skills, and bold organizations willing to spearhead culture change.

Patient empowerment is an upstream solution to downstream challenges - it is care transformation from within. Unlocking human potential creates cascading effects through communities and systems. As Rafael Campo writes, “I am not the doctor. You are not the patient. We are both here to listen and help each other heal.” Let us listen.

Roi Shternin is an Israeli author, patient advocate, entrepreneur, and keynote speaker who has been recognized as a pioneer in the field of patient-centered care. He has lived with severe POTS (Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) since the age of 15 and has transformed his personal experience into a platform for advocating for patient empowerment and education. Roi is the founder of the Patient-Led Medical Innovation Initiative and the Dysautonomia Israel Society, organizations dedicated to empowering patients and improving healthcare through patient input. He is also the author of the books "Revolution from My Bed: Regain Control of Your Life as a Patient" and "What Do Patients Want? A Guide for Healthcare Professionals to Understand and Empower Patients," which have been translated into multiple languages and have helped countless patients navigate the complex healthcare system. Roi is a frequent speaker at international conferences and events, sharing his expertise on patient-centered care, healthcare innovation, and the power of patient empowerment. He is a passionate advocate for the rights of patients and is committed to creating a healthcare system that is more patient-centric, equitable, and efficient.