What is Patient-Centered Care?
Patient-centered care has become a buzzword in healthcare in recent years, but what does it really mean? At its core, patient-centered care is an approach to healthcare delivery that prioritizes the needs, preferences, and experiences of patients. It emphasizes the importance of communication, respect, and shared decision-making in the patient-provider relationship.
While the benefits of patient-centered care for patients and providers are well-documented, implementing this approach in healthcare systems can be challenging. In this article, we will explore the definition and core principles of patient-centered care, its benefits for patients and providers, challenges and barriers to its implementation, and examples of successful patient-centered care programs.
Defining Patient-Centered Care
Patient-centered care is a healthcare approach that prioritizes the needs and preferences of patients, placing them at the center of their healthcare journey. It is a collaborative process where clinicians work with patients to address their unique needs, values, and goals. This approach emphasizes the importance of communication, respect, and individualization in healthcare delivery. It is a holistic approach that considers the patient’s physical, emotional, and social needs. This approach recognizes that patients are unique and have different preferences, values, and goals.
The concept of patient-centered care has been around for decades. It wasn’t until the 1980s that it gained mainstream attention, though. This was in response to patients’ dissatisfaction with the traditional, doctor-centered approach to healthcare that focused more on diagnosis and treatment than on their needs and preferences.
Core Principles
Patient-centered care is built on core principles that guide healthcare providers in their interactions with patients. Patient autonomy and shared decision-making are central to patient-centered care.
We know that patients have unique needs and preferences. This approach involves tailoring care to the individual patient, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach. It involves providing care that is responsive to the physical, emotional, and social aspects of a patient’s life.
Effective communication and active listening are key to patient-centered care. Healthcare providers must listen attentively to patients to understand, not to respond. Then, they work together to develop a care plan that addresses the patient’s needs and preferences.
Benefits for Patients
Patient-centered care has several benefits for patients. It leads to higher patient satisfaction rates. Patients feel heard, respected, and involved in their care, too, which leads to a more positive patient experience.
There are also a ton of links between this type of care, improved health outcomes, and reduced health disparities. When patients are involved in their care and feel empowered to make decisions, they are less likely to run into barriers around treatment. That results in better health outcomes overall and a lower likelihood of visiting the ER or being admitted to the hospital.
Most of all, this setup empowers patients to take an active role in their healthcare journey. Giving patients who have can’t control their conditions a sense of control and ownership in their care makes a huge difference. In fact, it leads to increased engagement and motivation to manage their health.
Benefits for Healthcare Providers & Systems
Patient-centered care benefits not only patients but healthcare providers as well. Provider-patient relationships improve due to better, more effective communication and collaboration. Having a more positive and trusting relationship between the healthcare provider and patient leads to better ratings.
Providers who practice patient-centered care often report higher levels of professional fulfillment and job satisfaction. This approach allows them to build meaningful connections with patients and truly see the positive impact of their work on patient outcomes. Accounting for barriers and working around them also helps providers worry less about their patients. Let’s be real – being a provider is hard. They take their work home, too.
Speaking of that, patient-centered care is linked to reduced burnout and turnover rates. A more positive work environment encourages collaboration and communication outside the exam room, too. Stress levels drop and work can feel less chaotic.
This manner of care can also lead to better ratings and fewer costs for the healthcare systems overall.
Implementation in Healthcare Systems
This isn’t just a concept. It’s a practice that healthcare organizations can incorporate into their culture. Here are a few ways healthcare systems can implement patient-centered care:
- Create a culture that values the patient’s voice and experience. Empowering patients to be active participants in their own care can also help systems uncover barriers and issues internally. Involving patients and their families in quality improvement projects, such as Patient and Family Advisory Boards institutionalizes that work, protecting it moving forward and leading to even more improvements.
- Offer training on cultural competency and health literacy to help providers better serve diverse populations.
- Offer regular training to providers that is focused on patient-centered communication skills. This can improve their ability to listen, understand, and respond to patients’ needs.
- Adapt to new technologies that allow for improved patient engagement and communication. For instance, telemedicine, remote monitoring devices, and electronic medical record portals increase engagement across the board. These technologies provide a more personalized approach to care delivery. Telemedicine in particular offers the clinicians the ability to see what a patient’s home life may be like, which can lead to addressing other barriers or socioeconomic issues.
There are many examples of successful patient-centered care programs. Some of these include the Mayo Clinic Model of Patient-Centered Care, patient-centered medical homes and primary care redesign, and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).
Challenges and Barriers
While patient-centered care has many benefits, there can be challenges and barriers that affect its implementation. Some insurance and reimbursement models may not incentivize patient-centered care. While this is ridiculous, it can make it difficult for healthcare providers to prioritize patient needs over financial considerations.
Language and cultural differences between patients and providers can cause misunderstandings and hinder effective communication. You can’t provide patient-centered care if you can’t relate to or center the patient in discussions.
Some healthcare providers may also be resistant to change, prioritizing traditional medical models over patient-centered approaches. This paternalism limits the adoption and success of patient-centered care. That’s especially true when healthcare systems don’t address paternalistic providers.
Future of Patient-Centered Care in Healthcare
As healthcare continues to evolve, patient-centered care will become increasingly important. As we think ahead to the future, here are some ways that this practice may show up:
- Conducting clinical trials and further research of patient-centered care programs. This will be critical to improving outcomes and expanding successful programs.
- Scaling of successful programs, adjusting them for different settings. What works in New York City likely won’t work in Appalachia, but we can imagine what changes we could make to improve and institute a successful program in Appalachia.
- Increasing access to technology. This could create new opportunities for patient engagement. It may even help us to work through how changes in insurance and reimbursement models could create new challenges.
- Developing better tools to measure patient engagement. These need to take into account issues such as socioeconomic status, oppression and discrimination, and equity issues.
Patient-centered care plays a critical role in improving the quality of healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. While it may not be easy to implement, the benefits of this approach for patients and providers are clear. By prioritizing patient needs, preferences, and experiences, healthcare providers can build stronger relationships with their patients and ultimately provide better care. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, it will be important to continue to prioritize patient-centered care and find new ways to meet the unique needs of patients.