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Co-Discovery, Helping Your Patients Take Ownership for Their Health

Presented by: Bonnie Ripin, RDH, BASDH

Original Lecture/ Publication Date: September 3, 2025 (Webinar Series)

Take the Course - Coming Soon This course is available for CE Credit as a "Members Only" benefit. Not a Member? CLICK HERE to learn more about AAOSH Membership.

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Course Description:

The way we view and judge health is subjective. We develop it from our culture, personal experiences, and belief systems. Think about this: With health being subjective, what happens when our definition of health is different from that of our patients? Too often in health care, we attempt to make things easy for our patients by doing everything to and for them. We may think we’re helping lead them to health when what we’re really doing is taking away opportunities for engagement.

The art of facilitation is a wants vs needs-based philosophy where everything is related to the patient's needs and wants. It’s focused on their agenda, not ours. To successfully facilitate, we have to remember that people want to make good choices and decisions for themselves. Facilitation is about listening to understand, which is much more powerful and important than talking and telling. It creates an environment that fosters trust and collaboration and is designed to assist in co-discovery and co-diagnosis. Facilitation involves Listening. Understanding. and Inspiring. It’s the cornerstone for helping patients take ownership for their health.

It’s important to recognize that we don’t know what’s best for our patients and that they are their own best diagnosticians. They will always make better choices for themselves than any of us would for them. This course will assist you in being able to work with others to help create commitment for lifelong change.

Learning Objectives:

  • Define the principles and processes of Co-Discovery and Co-Diagnosis
  • Understand and Recognize the Expert Mindset
  • Define Facilitation in healthcare
  • Recognize the difference between our patients being Compliant vs Committed
  • Learn how to support our patients in taking personal ownership for their health
  • Learn the answer to ALL of our struggles with relating to patients and their processes (Spoiler Alert - it's Curiosity!)

Conflicts of Interest: 

N/A