title: Marrying contradictions: healthcare professionals perceptions of empowerment in the care of people with Type 2 Diabetes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the study was to establish how healthcare professionals (HCPs) involved in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) perceive patient-empowerment. We aimed to identify their understanding of empowerment, and how these inform their day-to-day practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employing a qualitative approach, ten interviews with diabetes HCPs in two local Health Trusts were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim and analysed using framework analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  HCPs viewed empowerment as a rejection of the paternalistic approach. Emphasis was given to ways of balancing clinical aims against patients' concerns. Some saw the approach as improving service quality, whereas others saw empowerment as a process of social justice. These were related variably to the expedient use of resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Models of empowerment, which promote that HCPs bring clinical expertise and patients 'lay' expertise of illness to the medical encounter, are inadequately descriptive of how empowerment approaches are actually engaged with, by HCPs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The empowerment approach is construed and utilised in different ways. Clarification of what empowerment entails in practice for HCPs, as well as what HCPs perceive are its multiple aims, is required.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Nursing and Healthcare Research, University of Greenwich, London, UK. P.D.Newton@greenwich.ac.uk
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Newton
authors.forename: Scambler
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sasha
authors.forename: Asimakopoulou
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Koula
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D019468:Disease Management; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010465:Perception; D011209:Power, Psychological; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012648:Self Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires