Negotiation is defined as a discussion aimed at reaching an agreement. When applying this to patient teaching, it is the art of the healthcare professional teaching what may be the best course of action for treating a disease process and the patient negotiating what is feasible to do given their life activities and behaviors. It is a ‘give and take’ between the two parties and may help providers to think outside-the-box in order to assist the patient in compliance with the healthcare plan. Negotiation lends to patient involvement in their own care instead of having an authoritative figure dictate to them what needs to happen. Negotiation identifies areas of agreement and disagreement and provides a forum for discussion of solutions (Falvo, 2011). It can also be a catalyst that involves determining the patients’ personal feelings about their illnesses and the proposed interventions, assisting patients in planning how to translate their new knowledge into behaviors, and to build in feedback mechanisms (Zander, 1996).
What part does negotiation play in patient education?