Patient-centered care (PCC) is a healthcare model that entails a holistic approach to managing patients with dignity, respect, trust, and compassion and involving them in all decisions concerning their health. It is a partnership between practitioners, patients, and their families that ensures that the patient’s needs, wants, and preferences are central to decision-making.

PCC is the cornerstone of modern medicine because it shifts the focus from traditional, disease-centered models to prioritizing patients as active participants in their care. In an era of cutting-edge technology in diagnostics and treatment of medicine, PCC ensures that healthcare remains compassionate, respectful, and responsive. It fosters strong trust between provider and patient, ensures a higher patient satisfaction rate, improves outcomes, and promotes better adherence to lifestyle modifications and treatment. It is cost-effective because it minimizes unnecessary interventions and promotes efficient care.PCC empowers individuals to participate in their health journey. As healthcare systems aim for higher quality, safety, and efficiency, embracing patient-centered principles is essential for delivering clinically effective and emotionally supportive care.

A built environment is the physical design of a healthcare facility. Its key elements include accessibility, privacy, comfort, aesthetics, and flexible spaces that adapt to patients’ different needs. The built environment affects patients’ experience, comfort, and dignity, emphasizing its impact on PCC.

The PCC Service Delivery Framework emphasizes timely and equitable access to care, flexible appointments, and prompt responses to patients’ concerns. It supports individualized care through comprehensive evaluations and coordinated treatment plans. Trust and rapport enrich open communication and respect for preferences. Care continuity achieves seamless transitions and strong follow-up support. Empowering patients through shared decision-making and education ensures they can make informed choices and actively manage their health.

 Additionally, PCC includes caregiver engagement, emotional support services, and attention to patients’ physical and environmental needs—such as pain management, healing-centered facility design, and survivorship programs—to enhance the patient experience: safety and quality maintenance protocols, incident reporting, and continuous quality improvement based on patient feedback. Finally, the hospital’s organizational culture is grounded in a commitment to patient-centered principles, supported by ongoing staff training and a mission that reflects these values.

Many key organizations in the USA regulate and assess PCC. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) support healthcare quality through payment policies, quality reporting programs, and the Meaningful Measures Initiative, which emphasizes patient engagement and feedback. The Joint Commission accredits healthcare organizations and sets standards that include patient rights, communication, and shared decision-making. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) advances PCC by funding research and providing evidence-based resources for healthcare providers. Likewise, the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accredits healthcare organizations and develops quality measures related to PCC. Professional organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA) and the American Nurses Association (ANA) advocate for PCC and guide their members. The National Patient Advocate Foundation and the Picker Institute promote patient rights and offer resources to patients and families.

Furthermore, state licensing boards regulate communication, informed consent, and patient rights within their guidelines. Together, these bodies define, measure, and promote PCC, collaborating to continually advance its role in the US healthcare system. These institutions often collaborate and build upon each other’s work to advance PCC in the US healthcare system.

PCC has become a foundational goal of healthcare reform and quality improvement in the United States. National initiatives such as the Institute of Medicine’s landmark 2001 report “Crossing the Quality Chasm” emphasized patient-centeredness as one of six core aims for a high-quality healthcare system. Organizations like the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Joint Commission have since integrated patient-centered principles into their standards, accreditation, and payment models. Across hospitals, clinics, and community health programs, there is an intensifying focus on respecting the autonomy of patients’ individual preferences, promoting shared decision-making, respecting the autonomy of patients’ individual preferences,improving communication, and addressing social determinants of health. PCC is pivotal for optimizing clinical outcomes, building rapport and trust, decreasing disparities, and enhancing the healthcare experience for diverse populations in a complex US healthcare system.

PCC has gained attention on the global stage. The International Beryl Institute is a global community of healthcare professionals and experience champions committed to transforming the human experience in healthcare. It was established in 2010. This institution advocates PCC, and it currently involves 49 countries, emphasizing PCC’s broad and evolving influence.

In conclusion, PCC marks a revolutionary change in healthcare delivery. With the support of key regulatory bodies and healthcare professionals, PCC poses to shape the future of medicine.

References

Edgman-Levitan S, Schoenbaum SC. Patient-centered care: achieving higher quality by designing care through the patient’s eyes. Isr J Health Policy Res. 2021 Mar 5;10(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s13584-021-00459-9. PMID: 33673875; PMCID: PMC7934513. 

More patient-centered care, better healthcare: the association between patient-centered care and healthcare outcomes in inpatients
Chenhao Yu 1,†, Yun Xian 1,†, Tiantian Jing 1, Mayangzong Bai 1, Xueyuan Li 2, Jiahui Li 3, Huigang Liang 4,*, Guangjun Yu 1,5,*, Zhiruo Zhang 1,*
2023 Oct 19; 11:1148277. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1148277
Patient-Centered Care and Preference-Sensitive Decision Making
Carla C. Keirns, MD, MA, MS, PhD; Susan Dorr Goold, MD, MHSA, MA
JAMA. 2009;302(16):1805-1806. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.15
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