Person-Centred Approach to Care

Person-Centred Approach to Care

Person-centred care is a holistic approach to healthcare that prioritizes the individual needs, values, and preferences of the patient. This approach focuses on the patient's unique experiences, goals, and aspirations, rather than solely treating the symptoms or illness. It is based on the belief that healthcare should be tailored to the individual, rather than the other way around.

The Importance of Person-Centred Care

The traditional biomedical perspective has dominated healthcare for centuries, focusing on diagnosing and treating pathologies. This approach can lead to a narrow view of the patient, as diagnoses often come with preconceived notions about the person receiving them. Recognizing this, person-centred care advocates for a perspective that starts from each person's symptom experience, complementing the biomedical perspective.

Challenges in Implementing Person-Centred Care

However, implementing person-centred care can face several challenges. The diversity of understandings of symptoms in clinical settings and the current biomedical discourse can make it difficult to shift the focus from pathology to the patient's experience. Additionally, the incompleteness of symptom research can hinder the development of effective strategies for person-centred care.

Goal-Oriented Care

One approach to person-centred care is goal-oriented care (GOC), introduced by Mold and colleagues in 1991. GOC is designed for individuals with diverse and complex health conditions and social care needs, encouraging team-based and interprofessional care. This approach emphasizes using what is most important to the person seeking care to determine what kinds of care are appropriate and how care is delivered, which is, in essence, person-centred care.

Implementing Person-Centred Care

Implementing person-centred care requires health-care professionals to be skilled in listening to patient narratives and acquire knowledge about how symptom experiences can be individually expressed and interpreted. By listening to symptom experiences, healthcare providers can gain insights into the personal meaning of illness and information about bodily and social restrictions caused by symptom distress. This will ultimately improve the prerequisites for establishing person-centred care planning.

Conclusion

Person-centred care is a vital shift in healthcare that places the individual at the centre of care, focusing on their experiences, goals, and aspirations. While challenges remain in implementing this approach, strategies such as goal-oriented care provide a framework for tailoring care to the person's unique needs. As healthcare continues to evolve, person-centred care will become increasingly important in delivering holistic, patient-focused care.