Patient Behaviors

This classic grounded theory study uncovered both a basic social process theory and an emerging typology of patients based upon their behavior as they react and adapt to the healthcare environment. The theory emerged in the context of care of 32 hospitalized patients and their interactions and relationships with interprofessional healthcare teams. The patients’ main concerns were to constantly ensure protection of their own personhood in order to receive optimal care. When striving for optimal care, patients can develop specific types of behaviors to the respective healthcare environment and in response to healthcare professionals' attitudes and behaviors towards patient expectations. Patients tend to exhibit one of three types of behavior, thus a typology of these behaviors emerged: propitiation, vigilance, and confidence. Types of patient behaviors are differentiated by their position on the control continuum, their level of trust in healthcare professionals and their past experiences. The typology of behaviors has the power to show patients’ levels of empowerment and the way they are engaged in their own optimal and humanized care.