Ana Suárez Vázquez

Empower Me? Yes, Please, But in My Way: Different Patterns of Experiencing Empowerment in Patients with Chronic Conditions

ABSTRACT Empowerment is a widely used word within the realm of health care. This is especially true in the case of patients living with a chronic illness, who may be active participants and learn to manage their disease, irrespective of their desires or preferences. This article focuses on the empowering experience of patients with chronic conditions. We have built on earlier research that explains the factors that mediate communication between health care professionals and patients: patient participation, patient impact, meaning, health care professionals’ information provision, health care professionals’ emotional support, health care professionals’ attentive listening, health care professionals’ trust, and patient collaboration. We propose a new model for detecting types of patients who differ in the way they live their empowering experience. Using survey data from a sample of 181 patients of hemophilia, we found two types of patients: patients with an inner locus of empowerment and patients with an outer locus of empowerment. We conclude by discussing different strategies for fostering the sense of power in each of these types of patients.ABSTRACTEmpowerment is a widely used word within the realm of health care. This is especially true in the case of patients living with a chronic illness, who may be active participants and learn to manage their disease, irrespective of their desires or preferences. This article focuses on the empowering experience of patients with chronic conditions. We have built on earlier research that explains the factors that mediate communication between health care professionals and patients: patient participation, patient impact, meaning, health care professionals’ information provision, health care professionals’ emotional support, health care professionals’ attentive listening, health care professionals’ trust, and patient collaboration. We propose a new model for detecting types of patients who differ in the way they live their empowering experience. Using survey data from a sample of 181 patients of hemophilia, we found two types of patients: patients with an inner locus of empowerment and patients with an out...

La interactividad en cuestionarios autoadministrados. Influencia en la experiencia del encuestado

Resumen El desarrollo tecnologico ha propiciado nuevos medios para la realizacion de investigaciones de mercado mediante encuestas. Estos nuevos medios dan lugar a diferentes niveles de interactividad del encuestado con el contenido de los cuestionarios. Un aspecto de gran interes es el cambio del procesamiento de la informacion y de la experiencia del encuestado ante esos distintos niveles de interactividad. Este trabajo analiza la reaccion de los encuestados frente a encuestas autoadministradas con diferencias en los niveles de interactividad del cuestionario. Concretamente, se observa el efecto de esos niveles de interactividad sobre la actitud del encuestado hacia el cuestionario, sobre el estado de flujo que experimenta y sobre el procesamiento de la informacion que lleva a cabo durante su respuesta.