Research examining the client-practitioner relationship has followed the tide of mutual participation models (MPMs), which rely on patient autonomy, respect for patient values, and experience. These models have resulted from a gradual decline in the efficiency in the biological model that has been used in the US up to the 20th century. This paper explores the evolution of the health practitioners, the client-practitioner relationship, and MPMs. When applied to the client-practitioner relationship, both the benefits and drawbacks of mutual participation emerge. Explicit legal regulations, ethical principles, and complex social conventions govern this relationship. Boundaries define expected and accepted physical, social, and emotional interactions between practitioners and their clients. Many of the rituals that signify relational boundaries conflict with the MPMs. Formal speech, professional attire and a formal office setting may infringe upon mutual participation as they are designed to create a more formal, distanced relationship between the practitioner and client. However, these models also provide many benefits for health care clients. A broader conception of illness, focusing the practice of medicine on the total person, embracing the notion of wellness and acceptance of the patient as a partner in care are all based on the sharing of power in the relationship, a key focus of MPMs. The impact of these and other facets of mutual participation on the health researcher and patient outcomes is discussed and suggestions made for future research examining the client-practitioner relationship.
Learning Objectives: Participants will learn critiques of mutual participation models as a framework for conducting public health research; specifically when using questionnaire and other self-report measurements
Keywords: Public Health Research, Health Indices
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.