Exploring Patient Empowerment: The Link Between Satisfying Physician Relationship and Patient Involvement

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a research framework for exploring and improving patientempowerment through the analysis of the effects produced by a satisfying physician relationship on patientinvolvement in the healthcare process.Design/methodology/approach – The authors begin with a literature review of patient empowerment inhealthcare, useful to highlight the importance of relational aspects. Then, the authors tested the hypotheses ofthe research through the analysis of 450 questionnaires. The results are analyzed through covariance-basedstructural equation modeling.Findings – This paper highlights how empowerment is a more complex phenomenon, needing manydimensions to be investigated. The hypotheses were tested, and correlations computed, highlighting amedium-strong positive correlation between physician relationship and patient involvement determiningsatisfying patient empowerment.Research limitations/implications – The considerations conducted in the paper are restricted tophysician relationship and needs further research aimed to analyze and evaluate the changes in the patientbehaviors influenced by empowerment.Practical implications – The research points offer new insight into patient empowerment and allow thehealthcare provider to create new opportunities for promoting patient empowerment through thedevelopment of quality relationship for effective patient involvement.Originality/value – The study developed contributes new insight about patient empowerment in thehealthcare management literature, proving the key role of satisfying physician relationship useful forfuture researches.