ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION@#Patient-centred medical care has been rising in importance since the turn of the century. It entails treating patients in relation to their biopsychosocial outlook so as to support the management of their conditions. The extent to which a patient is enabled to acquire skills and knowledge can be measured with the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) proposed by Howie and colleagues, and it has been noted to be more reflective of a good consultation compared to patient satisfaction scores. This study aimed to determine the level of patient enablement in the Singaporean context and the factors facilitating it.@*METHODS@#We conducted an embedded mixed method study with primary care patients in two phases: (a) a PEI questionnaire was completed by 150 patients; and (b) a qualitative approach using focused group discussions and individual interviews was used to explore factors associated with high enablement.@*RESULTS@#The mean PEI score was 4.5 ± 4.4, with significantly higher scores among patients attending specialised primary care clinics. Important physician factors were doctors' advice, attitude and relationship with the patient. Critical system factors included good continuity of care, workload and financial support, while patient factors included their beliefs, preparedness, inquisitiveness and trust, with considerable impact from the influence of community.@*CONCLUSION@#The PEI score in the Singaporean context is similar to that of other Asian contexts, but slightly higher than that reported in Western studies. Good doctor-patient relationships, efficient systems facilitating continuity of care, and motivated and informed patients all contribute to increased enablement.
ABSTRACT
Patient enablement is a consultation outcome measure that reflects the extent of patients understanding their health problems and the ability to dealing with. It not only reflects patient′s feeling after the consultation, but also the doctor′s ability of diagnosis and treatment. The Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) has been developed and used to assess the enablement of patients after consultation. The PEI has the characteristics of brevity and conciseness, and its reliability and validity are widely accepted. This article reviews the current status of the application of PEI and related factors to provide a reference for the its further use in China.
ABSTRACT
Objective To assess the patient enablement level in a general hospital and its related factors,to investigate the relationship of patient enablement with patient's overall satisfaction and doctor's empathy levels.Methods Patients attending the Family Medicine Clinic of HKU-Shenzhen Hospital in September 2014 and met the inclusion criteria were asked to complete a questionnaire survey which included general characteristics,overall satisfaction;the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI) and the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure Scale (CARE) after the consultation.Results Total 2 326 questionnaires were issued and 1 818 were retrieved,of which 1 478 were qualified questionnaires.The qualified rate of PEI was 81.3％ and the qualified rate of patient overall satisfaction was 96.28％.The positive rate of patient enablement was 97.70％ (1 444/1 478),and the mean score of PEI was 8.21 ±3.33.Multivariate linear regression analysis showed that the PEI scores were not influenced by gender and education level of the patients,gender of the consulting doctors and initial/follow up consultation.The PEI scores were influenced by the age of the patients,the types of clinic (general practice/chronic practice clinic) and the reasons for consulting (P ＜ 0.05).There were correlations between PEI score and overall satisfaction of patients (r =0.383,P ＜ 0.001),patient's recommendation of the clinic (r =0.595,P ＜ 0.001) and CARE scores (r =0.546,P ＜ 0.001).Conclusion The results show that the PEI scores of patients visiting family medicine clinic of this hospital are higher than those reported in other studies.The PEI score may be influenced by the age of the patients,the types of clinic and the reasons for consulting.Positive correlations between patient enablement and the overall satisfaction,patient's recommendation and doctor empathy were observed.