Disempowerment Among Adults With Chronic Illness: A Concept Analysis Using the Walker and Avant Method.
Hau Yi Jodie Tse, Daphne Sze Ki Cheung, Engle Angela Chan and 1 others
PMID 40622123WHAT IT FOUND
Disempowerment among adults with chronic illness meant dissatisfaction when chances to understand, manage, and control daily life shrank.
It can arise from illness itself, not only poor care, and may lead to withdrawal, distrust, or refusing care.
Key findings
01Disempowerment was defined as a state of dissatisfaction with diminishing opportunities to make choices over one's own life.
02Disempowerment was linked to antecedents such as symptoms, complications, uncertainty, and mismatch between expectations and reality for the patient or with care partners.
03Disempowerment was described as leading to disengagement in self-care, relationships, and healthcare services, including distrust, refusal of care, or overdependence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is a concept analysis of existing literature, not a study of patients or a trial, so it cannot show that any intervention prevents or reduces disempowerment. Only English articles were included, so the authors note that language and culture may shape how disempowerment is understood and may have been missed. The included studies were heterogeneous, with qualitative studies, reviews, essays, and theoretical papers, and disempowerment was often a theme or descriptor rather than a measured outcome. No validated measure of disempowerment for adults with chronic illness was found; the two existing scales focus on hospital staff interactions and may not capture dissatisfaction or loss of control in other settings. The model, borderline, contrary, and related cases are examples used to clarify the concept, not new clinical findings.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that a particular patient-education or empowerment programme works. It is a concept analysis of existing descriptions, not a trial, and it found no validated measure of disempowerment in adults with chronic illness.