PaTH

• Title: Influences of participation in treatment decisions on health experience and behaviour
• Acronym: PaTH (Participation, Treatment Adherence, Health)

• Project management: M. Sc. psychologist Ronja Müller-Späth


• Duration: 01.07.2024 - 01.07.2026
• Keywords: participation, shared decision-making, treatment adherence, health perception, stress perception, sense of coherence

Project description:

The PaTH project investigates how different levels of participation in health-related decisions affect patients’ perceptions and behaviour. The aim is to understand which forms of involvement can pave the way for effective counselling and treatment - and how this process can be designed in a patient-centred way.

The importance of participatory decision-making processes is not only evident in scientific discourse, but also in current health policy and ethical developments: The German Patients' Rights Act of 2013 enshrined informed decision-making as legally protected in Germany. In addition, in 2017, the WMA Declaration of Geneva was supplemented by the obligation to respect the autonomy of patients - a central principle of medical ethics practice.

Path is conducting three empirical studies to investigate how participatory decision-making processes can be designed in health counselling - for example on topics such as insomnia or dementia prevention. The studies will use different forms of participation in order to understand their impact on health experience and behaviour.

Aim of the project:

PaTH aims to provide evidence-based insights into how different forms of participation in treatment decisions can influence health-related perception and behaviour. Practical recommendations will be derived from the results, which will show new paths for effective, participatory and patient-centred health counselling.

Sub-studies:

TS1 – Translation and adaptation of a treatment adherence questionnaire (FwB)

Duration: 09.07.2023 – 09.09.2023
The aim of this sub-study was to translate, adapt and psychometrically test the English ‘Treatment Adherence Perception Questionnaire (TAPQ)’ into German. Data collection and analysis have been completed. The validated version – Fragebogen wahrgenommener Behandlungsadhärenz (FwB) - will be used in the following studies.

TS2 – Participation in online health counselling on insomnia

Duration: 14.03.2025 – 14.06.2025

This online intervention study investigates the influence of different levels of participation in the context of digital health counselling on insomnia on health variables and adherence to recommended sleep hygiene measures.

TS3 – Participation in counselling sessions for dementia prevention (laboratory study)

Planned start: June/July 2025

IStructured counselling sessions on dementia prevention are conducted in a laboratory setting. Participation will be varied in order to assess its effect on health perception, the sense of coherence and adherence to preventive recommendations.

Current status:

The first sub-study (TS1) has been successfully completed. TS2 is currently in the data collection phase. Planning for TS3 is in progress; the study is scheduled to start in summer 2025.