Empowerment issues in cancer

Abstract

Outlines strategies for empowerment of cancer patients and discusses potential barriers to their implementation. Because the factors influencing individuals' sense of control are multileveled, the strategies considered reflect several levels of social organization, ranging from the personal and private to the collective and social. Optimal care should focus on quality of life, include outpatient and community care, and meet patient needs for information and participation in decision making. Individual patient-directed strategies for empowerment include adjunctive therapies and assertiveness and self-advocacy. Systemic strategies for enhancing patient control include patient participation in policy making, hiring of "patient advocates," political advocacy, and changing societal attitudes. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)