Person centered care: preference, experience and predictors in speech-language pathology and audiology students

ABSTRACT Person-centeredness is an important aspect of healthcare service delivery endorsed by the World Health Organization. To instill person-centered care (PCC) in health training requires prioritization of PCC concepts. Focusing on Speech-Language Pathology and/or Audiology (SLP/A) this study aimed to (i) measure student preferences towards PCC using the modified Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (mPPOS) (ii) to determine predictors towards these preferences and (iii) describe students’ views and experiences towards PCC. A mixed-method design was followed utilizing an online survey and four focus group discussions. The survey included demographic questions, the modified Patient-Practitioner-Orientation Scale (mPPOS), the Ten-Item-Personality-Inventory (TIPI) and an open-ended question. The focus group discussions included prompting questions which facilitated an open-ended discussion. A total of 321 students (54.5% SLP) completed the online survey across all seven South African Universities, and 16 students (39% Audiology students) participated in the focus group discussions. High preference towards person-centeredness with a mean mPPOS score of 4.3 (SD 0.6) was obtained. Quantile regression analysis revealed eight common predictors towards PCC preferences. Three main categories emerged from the open-ended question and focus group discussions: (i) client-clinician relationship (ii) barriers towards PCC and (iii) PCC training. Although students have a preference for and an understanding of PCC, there are important factors to consider during training. Curriculum enhancement can nurture and foster the skills required to provide care that is more person-centered.