Patients' control and the information imperative: clarification and confirmation

This study is a replication and extension of research on the types of activities which contribute to patients' sense of control during their hospitalization. The original research involving two samples, each consisting of 30 medical-surgical patients in a military medical facility, revealed that in addition to being informed, patients found control through fulfilling the patient role, being involved in decision-making processes, and directing interpersonal and environmental interactions (Dennis, 1987). Through a similar use of Q-methodology, this sample of 30 adults, hospitalized with a greater diversity of medical-surgical diagnosis in a civilian medical center, demonstrated control-related perspectives that were similar to their military medical center counterparts. Information about diagnosis, treatment, and the lifestyle implications of the disease process was central to facilitating patients' sense of control. Data from the 90 subjects comprising all three subsamples across both studies were integrated through second-order factor analysis, a procedure unique to Q-methodology. This analysis clarified and confirmed four types of patient control orientations: patient role fulfillment, health care decision making, personal integrity preservation, and global self-determination.