The relation between patient education, patient empowerment and patient satisfaction: A cross-sectional-comparison study

Patient empowerment is a paradigm of clinical practice. The goal of patient empowerment is to lead patients' health and wellbeing. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relation between patient education, patient empowerment and patient satisfaction based on multi-hospital cross-sectional study design in Taiwan. In this cross-sectional survey, 609 inpatients in four teaching hospitals in northern Taiwan from August 2009 to July 2010 were recruited. Data were collected using Chinese version of the Patient Perceptions of Empowerment Scale (PPES), Sufficiency of Patient Education Questionnaire (SPEQ) and Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (PSQ). The multiple linear regression model was used to assess the independent effects of relevant factors on patient empowerment after controlling for the covariates. The overall mean empowerment scores was 44.80±5.94. There was a significant difference between the total scores and four dimensions of patient empowerment at different hospitals (t=5.44, p≤0.01). Sufficient patient education (β=0.568, 95%CI: 0.486–0.649) and patient satisfaction (β=0.317, 95%CI: 0.259–0.375) could significantly predict patient empowerment based on the multiple linear regression analysis, with a total variance was 54.4%. In conclusion, both sufficient patient education and patient satisfaction were positively related to patient empowerment. Hospitals in Taiwan should try to improve their patients' active involvement toward empowerment. •Empowerment is more than a paradigm of clinical practice because it has become one of the core features of health care.