Patient Centered Care and Professional Nursing Practices

Introduction Patient centered care (PCC) is an essential determinant of quality care. Patient centered care is a multidimensional concept, and institutions that adopt PCC approach report better patient and organizational outcomes. Patient-centered care focuses the attention on patient‟s beliefs, choices, preferences, and needs, in contrast to physician centered care [1]. PCC has been shown to result in better health outcomes, better survival, greater patient satisfaction and wellbeing, however, little is still known about the importance of PCC aspects and dimensions [2]. Despite growing recognition of the importance of patient centered care, and its effectiveness, studies show that patients report significant problems in gaining access to information, understanding treatment options, getting explanations regarding medications, and receiving responsive service from the health care professional [3]. The paper discusses the concept of patient centered care, its dimensions, benefits in relation to both patients and health care organizations and the professional nursing practices related to patient centered care. Patient Centered Care There is no universally agreed upon definition of patient centered care; however, Richardson and his colleagues [4] defined PCC as care that is “respectful of and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions.” Patient Centered Care represents a shift from traditional, paternalistic, provider-driven, disease focused approaches towards healthcare systems that respects patients‟ preferences, needs, desires and experiences. PCC empowers patients, and enable health care providers to partner with patients to better meet patient goals [5].