The Importance Of Patient-Centred Care

The modern health care system places great importance on inter-professional collaborations and closer working relationships between different health care professionals. Studies have reported that the lack of communication and collaboration can result in adverse events patient care outcomes (L. Fewster-Thuente & B. Velsor-Friedrich, 2008). Inter-professional collaboration brings together professionals to facilitate improvements in the standards of patient-centred care, with each group contributing its own perspective and professional expertise to the collaborative process. In such collaborative effort, different professionals contribute in identifying and solving problems, deciding procedures and how to proceed, and collectively evaluate the

In inter-professional collaborations in health care, like in any other situation that requires social interaction, these are pertinent factors that need to be taken into consideration for better patient care outcome. For effective patient care outcomes, medical care professionals may have to employ additional sets of social skills beyond their acquired knowledge. Over the years many medical and nursing courses have incorporated aspects that introduce medical professionals to such essential and necessary social skills required in work environment and for interaction with patients (NMC, 2015). In the past few years, there has been a growing debate in the medical care field about the suitability and efficiency of two important practices namely; Person-centred care vs. Patient-centred care. While both these practices have certain advantages, in the recent years there has been a growing consensus that the person-centred practice is perhaps the better form of compassionate care. The patient-centred care, which emphasis on medical diagnosis and medical problems, focuses on the person as a patient (Epstein & Street, 2011; Gerteis, 1993; McWhinney, 1985). In this approach the personal needs of the patients are acknowledged, respected, they are involved in their care, and their wishes are honoured, but limited within the scope of medical needs. Here, the medical need gains priority over the

To build any effective collaborations contributions from individuals (both the provider and receiver or care), teams (medical care team and support group comprising family and friends) and organisations are crucial (Gilbert, Yan, & Hoffman, 2010). Individual (patient) can be empowered to make a meaningful contribution by improving their healthcare awareness through health education programs at school or in communities. Such programs should include aspects of general health literacy, improving self-care and disease management skill through training programs, and enhancing communication skills that can lead to participation in decision-making process, making them aware of the importance of adherence to prescribed medications. Such initiatives can help to prepare the patient for fruitful interactions with medical care professionals and organisations. Care providers or the team (medical care professional and family) should work in partnership with the patient and deliver care responsive to the needs and expectations of the patients. Medical professionals including doctors and nurses must make sure that the understand patient’s competence and involve them in the planning and management of their care and treatment and provide them support to make informed decisions about their care and treatment options (Aase, Hansen, Aase, & Reeves,