Customer empowerment and relationship outcomes in healthcare consultations

Purpose: Several trends such as improved access to health care information via the internet, the growth of self-help groups and expenditure on alternative medicine signals consumers are taking an active role in their own health management. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma require a sign...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ouschan, Robyn, Sweeney, Jillian, Johnson, L.
Format: Journal Article
Published: Emerald Group Publishing Limited 2006
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/14601
Description
Summary:Purpose: Several trends such as improved access to health care information via the internet, the growth of self-help groups and expenditure on alternative medicine signals consumers are taking an active role in their own health management. Chronic illnesses such as diabetes and asthma require a significant amount of self-management and thus call for a collaborative patient-physician relationship. This study explores whether empowering patient-physician consultations measured through three patient empowerment dimensions (patient control, patient participation, physician support) enhance patients trust in and commitment to their physician.