During the conversation, the patient introduced the topic Ayurvedha. This can be seen in the line starting from “At that time, after discharged from the hospital…….” And that was a form of a declaration from the patient side about how the patient’s condition …show more content…
The patient’s autonomy enabled the patient to make autonomous decisions on the basis of the support and guidance provided by the health professionals (Entwistle, Carter, Cribb and McCaffery 2010). This also allows the patient to take a decision without surrendering the medical power on which the patient depends. In this extract, the patient explained his previous experience about the traditional medicine (At that time, after discharged from the hospital I went to an Ayurvedic clinic in Tamilnadu) to the therapist. Then, the therapist encouraged the patient to consider Ayurveda as a solid treatment option for his condition. This is identified as the therapist’s act of providing treatment choices for the patient and thereby encouraging patient’s autonomy. When the patient got such kind of encouragement from the therapist, the patient reflected upon his previous experiences about the traditional medicine that he received for the same condition (When I did that Ayurvedic treatment I got better results). In this aspect encouraging the autonomy of another person, or patient in a clinical context, also a form of acknowledging an equality in the ability to self-reflect and make choices. Encouraging patient autonomy is a way of enhancing the therapeutic relationship and is considered as the core element of patient centred care (Entwistle, Carter, Cribb and McCaffery,