PATIENT PARTICIPATION - A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

This article presents a critical review of the concept of patient part icipation. The concept of patient participation has become widely acce pted in contemporary nursing practice. It is now part of the vocabular y of professional nurses and has been heralded as a means of enhancing decision making and human dignity and enriching quality of life. Pati ent participation in care is emerging as a growing movement wherein pa tients are assuming more responsibility for the prevention, detection and treatment of health problems in a manner that supplements or subst itutes for professional services. The review concludes with some recom mendations for nursing practice, education and research.