Are the needs of the patients you regularly see really at the center of your practice?  Today’s expert used to think she was fully empowering patients until she discovered that she was really just scratching the surface. Stacey Zeigler, PT, DPT, GCS and Professor at Clarkson University, recently had the opportunity to present “Empowering Patient Autonomy for Outstanding Outcomes”the APTA Combined Sections Meetings held in New Orleans.

Zeigler defines patient autonomy as empowering the patient enough to make their own decisions in the treatment process.   She recommends starting out with something as simple as discovering the patient’s motivation for coming to see you.  Once you truly understand why patients come to see you and what they hope to accomplish, you’ll be able to help them achieve their goals.  A patient may only want to be able to get on the floor and play with their grandchild, instead of regaining full strength and the ability to complete a full knee extension. 

A number of tools are available to help physical therapists successfully empower their patients. Learn about some of the tools Zeigler recommends by listening to the full podcast. Her presentation is also available for download below the podcast link.