Jerofke Teresa A
College of Nursing, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA.
Res Theory Nurs Pract. 2013;27(3):157-72. doi: 10.1891/1541-6577.27.3.157.
The liberal usage of the concept of empowerment has led to the development of a broad and ambiguous term. In health care, empowerment is a core principle of patient-centered care that promotes patient engagement in health management. This is an analysis of the concept of empowerment within the context of cancer survivorship using both Rodgers' evolutionary concept analysis and Caron and Bower's dimensional analysis. The dimensional analysis followed the evolutionary concept analysis as the perspectives of patients and nurse providers emerged in the analysis. Data sources included a sample of 249 papers from multiple disciplines covering the period 2000-2013. Empowerment is defined as power-with that is actualized through a beneficial relationship of mutual trust and respect for autonomy that develops within a dynamic and patient-centered process. The attributes, along with the antecedents and consequences, provide a foundation for future theory development of empowerment in the context of cancer survivorship. This analysis demonstrated that although nurses and survivors may have a similar definition of the concept of empowerment, the uses and assumptions of that definition may differ. Future studies should be conducted measuring the effectiveness of an intervention that uses the components of the process of empowerment from survivors' perspectives.
