Embracing Patient Involvement in Clinical Practice

The way patients and healthcare providers interact has drastically changed over time, yet remnants of outdated models still linger today. Traditionally, patients were seen as passive recipients of care, expected to follow their doctor's orders without question. But this old-school, provider-centric approach to healthcare is increasingly being challenged…and for good reason.

Provider as Authoritative, Patient as Passive

For centuries, the patient-provider relationship resembled a hierarchical, almost paternalistic dynamic. Providers were viewed as all-knowing healers, and patients were expected to be compliant “good patients.” This model has historical roots going back to ancient times, through medieval Europe, and into the rise of hospitals in the eighteenth century, where the focus was