Health Self-Sufficiency

The overarching goal is to equip individuals with enough knowledge and certainty to manage their own health without ongoing dependence on a healthcare provider. Empowered patients are more likely to adopt positive health behaviours, adhere to treatment regimens, and communicate effectively with providers. Higher patient empowerment is strongly associated with lower continuity of care needs. The mean patient empowerment score of 84.37 on a 24–120 scale reflects a moderate level of capability in the study sample. Patient empowerment is defined as the process by which patients gain greater control over decisions and actions affecting their health, and has emerged as a key factor in chronic disease management. Patient empowerment has a statistically significant direct effect on continuity of care needs that operates independently of eHealth literacy. The guiding philosophy is to give people knowledge so they can create a healthy body on their own without depending on a practitioner. Limited access to educational resources or insufficient provider support may prevent patients from developing higher levels of empowerment.