What does the term ‘patient-centric’ mean?
"Patient-centric care"(or “patient-centred care”) refers to a care model that prioritises the needs, preferences, and values of the patient in all aspects during their personal journey through their recovery, care and aftercare. This approach shifts the focus from a more traditional model where decisions were made based around the provider, to one where the patient is at the centre of the decision-making process.
By embracing a patient-centric approach, healthcare providers aim to improve patient outcomes, increase patient satisfaction, and foster a more humane and effective healthcare experience.
The key aspects of patient-centric care can be described as follows:
- Personalised Care: Treatment plans are tailored to the individual needs, conditions, and preferences of the patient, rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach.
- Empowerment and Engagement: Patients are encouraged to take an active role in their own healthcare. This includes educating them about their condition, involving them in treatment decisions, and giving them tools to manage their health.
- Holistic Approach: Care considers not just the physical aspects of a patient's health but also their emotional, mental, social, and spiritual well-being.
- Collaboration and Communication: There is open and ongoing communication between patients and healthcare providers. Patients have access to their health information and are encouraged to ask questions and express concerns.
- Continuity of Care: Care is coordinated across different providers and services, ensuring that the patient experiences a seamless journey through the healthcare system.
- Patient Experience: The overall experience of the patient, including the environment of care, accessibility, and the responsiveness of healthcare providers, is a key focus.
- Shared Decision-Making: Healthcare providers collaborate with patients to make decisions, considering the patient's preferences, values, and lifestyle in the context of the best available evidence.
Why have we seen a rise in a patient-centric approach in healthcare?
The rise in patient-centric initiatives in healthcare is driven by several key factors and originally began to materialise from challenges faced post-COVID where it was recognised that change needed to come in order to deal with unprecedented pressures on services.
A large driver was the introduction of Vaccine Passports and the NHS app during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nationwide usage of tracking and booking vaccinations lead to a larger utilisation of data sharing initiatives to improve and streamline services. In 2021, data permissions and processing within healthcare was transformed, giving patients control of their health data and enabling staff to save more lives through improved care and treatment.
Under the proposals, patients now can more easily access their own test results, medication lists, procedures and care plans from across all parts of the health system through patient apps. By improving their access to data, people can also manage appointments, refill medications and speak with health and care staff when needed.
At the time of proposal, the then Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock, said: “The pandemic has taught us we must be bold and the great strides we have made on vaccines and treatments during this time have been made possible by the way we use data.
This strategy seeks to put people in control of their own data, while supporting the NHS in creating a modernised system fit for the 21st century which puts patients and staff in pole position.”
Natural progression in technological advancements also played its part in the rise of a patient-centric approach in healthcare. Advances in health information technology, including electronic health records (EHRs) and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), have made it easier to collect, analyse, and use patient-centric data. These technologies allow for real-time tracking of patient outcomes, enabling more personalised and responsive care.
Cultural and Societal Shifts have brought about broader changes towards recognising the importance of holistic health, which includes not only physical but also mental, emotional, and social well-being. This holistic approach aligns with the focus on patient-centric outcomes. A greater focus on quality of life has become more important as the ageing population grows and people are living longer and healthier lives.
Patient-centric care also represents a shift in the traditional roles of patients and their families from one of passive “order taker” to one of active “team member.” One of the country’s leading proponents of patient-centred care, Dr. James Rickert, has stated that one of the basic tenets of patient-centred care is that “patients know best how well their health providers are meeting their needs.”
To that end, many providers are implementing patient satisfaction surveys, patient and family advisory councils, and focus groups, and using the resulting information to continuously improve the way health care facilities and provider practices are designed, managed, and maintained from both a physical and operational perspective so they become focused more on the individual person than on a checklist of services provided.
Analysing patient feedback enable health providers to identify trends and areas for improvement. Plans can then be developed to address patient concerns and changes can be implemented based on their feedback. By communicating these changes to patients, provider are then able to demonstrate their commitment to continuous improvement to their patients.
What are the benefits of taking a patient-centric approach?
Research has demonstrated that when patient values and patient preferences are prioritised, individuals are more likely to have increased engagement in treatments, leading to better health outcomes. Hospitals and practices that implement patient-centric care report:
- Lower visits to Emergency care wards/A&E
- Faster patient recovery time
- Decreased use of healthcare resources
- Increased patient, family, and care team satisfaction
- Improved health outcomes
According to The UK Health Foundation, Patient-centric care has been used to improve quality of health care in a range of ways – Some examples they have provided are as follows:
- Reducing the number of complaints and improve the admissions process in a secure psychiatric uni
- Negotiating a treatment plan for people with recurrent mental health problems, working with them during a well period to plan for how their treatment should look when they are less able to choose
- Supporting people living with conditions such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), depression and long-term pain to become more effective self-managers through structured education, training for health care professionals and improving organisational processes
- Supporting women to decide whether to have a mastectomy or breast-conserving surgery, and men with enlarged prostate to decide whether to take drugs, have surgery or make lifestyle changes
We hope this article has been helpful and gives you more clarity about patient-centric/patient-centred outcomes and why these approaches are bringing great benefits to both healthcare providers and patients. If you’d like to find out more, we'd recommend the following sources:
https://welkinhealth.com/benefits-of-patient-centered-care/
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/data-strategy-to-support-delivery-of-patient-centred-care
https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/forefront/patient-centered-care-means-and-get-there
