Patient-centered care is a holistic form of healthcare in which providers consider the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patient to provide them with effective, personalized care. As healthcare professionals across all specialty areas work to bridge the health equity gap, the concept of patient-centered care has become increasingly important.
According to the , person-centered care rests at the core of the modern healthcare industry. A patient-centered approach allows health professionals to provide personalized support while respecting the patient and prioritizing their dignity.
Building on scientific knowledge, patient-centered care leads to evidence-based treatment that enables the patient to become a powerful partner in their own journey. It highlights the individual experience of the patient, improving health equity and ensuring unique needs are met.
The principles that guide patient-centered care include:
Before a health professional can begin creating patient-centered care strategies, they must first perform a holistic health assessment. This is a whole-person assessment that considers a patient’s physical symptoms, their social and emotional well-being, and their cultural background and spiritual beliefs.
Prior to a comprehensive health evaluation, health professionals need to build a safe, nurturing environment where patients can speak openly and plainly. It's important to create a culture of inclusivity that helps actively forge trust with your patients and clients.
According to research published in the , the key components of holistic patient assessment include connecting with the patient, having a caring attitude, communicating effectively, and prioritizing patient autonomy throughout the process. To support these goals in practice, clinicians often rely on structured tools and frameworks (such as motivational interviewing techniques, standardized oral health assessment models, and patient-reported outcome measures) that guide consistent, person-centered care.
The physical health assessment plays a vital role in personalized medical care, as it allows a healthcare provider or health professional to understand an individual's current health and past health history.
This assessment begins with a discussion about the patient's health history, including their family history and any symptoms they’re experiencing. It also includes a comprehensive physical exam. When combined, these two things allow health professionals to develop a comprehensive understanding of the physical health and well-being of the patient.
After the physical health assessment is complete, you can identify the risks that the individual faces and the priorities for their health treatment. Keep in mind that the social determinants of health, including access to housing, food, and education, can impact a person’s physical health and ability to adhere to treatment plans.
An emotional and mental health assessment plays an important role in any individualized patient care plan, as mental wellness can have a significant impact on overall health outcomes. When performing this assessment, trauma-informed care strategies should be used to protect the dignity of the patient.
There are a variety of screening tools that can be used for an emotional and mental health assessment, including the PHQ-9 for depression, GAD-7 for anxiety, and the ACEs questionnaire for trauma history. It’s essential to maintain open dialogue with patients and use inclusive, empathetic communication to build trust.
Throughout this assessment, you can identify your patient's strengths and any triggers that may make them uncomfortable or influence their emotional well-being. When this assessment is performed thoughtfully and thoroughly, you will gain a better understanding of your patient's readiness to engage in treatment.
A person's spirituality, cultural beliefs, and personal values determine how they live their lives — and can have an impact on the type of care they pursue.
A patient’s spirituality can affect clinical decision-making. As a result, health professionals should use respectful inquiry strategies to better understand their patients' values and belief systems. One tactic is , which use structured tools to explore a patient’s sources of meaning, spiritual practices, and community support.
Boundaries are absolutely necessary to creating productive, healthy therapeutic relationships. According to the , boundaries need to be mutually understood for spirituality to be properly integrated into the care plan. This involves clear communication, transparency about the provider’s role, and a truly collaborative approach.
The (SDOH) are defined as the environmental conditions that may impact health outcomes for an individual or group of people. The key determinants include economic stability, education access, healthcare access, neighborhood and built environment, and social and community context.
Understanding how these factors influence a person's livelihood and health outcomes can help you utilize care plan templates in a more effective, personalized way.
Screening and mapping SDOH allows you to develop a contextual understanding of the individual patient's needs and identify barriers related to housing, food security, transportation, or social support. This helps you visualize how these factors interact with a patient’s clinical presentation and gives you patient-generated health data to build a personalized care plan.
Closed-loop referrals enable interprofessional collaboration, helping you link your patients with the community resources they need to achieve better health outcomes. This approach includes confirming that a referral was received, tracking whether the patient connected with the service, and communicating with partner organizations to ensure continuity of care.
involves recognizing that culture impacts health behaviors and outcomes, then using that awareness to create culturally responsive care strategies.
Cultural awareness should be incorporated into your health literacy strategies, as it allows you to send targeted communications that are respectful and relevant to the individual patient. Through inclusive communication, you can build trust with your patients and prioritize their dignity at all times.
Tailored healthcare solutions help create personalized care plans that take into account the identity of the individual patient as well as their unique preferences. These may include communication styles, cultural or spiritual considerations, or dietary needs. This leads to better outcomes in both the short and long term.
In many ways, shared decision-making (SDM) anchors patient-centered care. According to the , SDM is a strategic and collaborative process that allows health professionals and patients to work together to determine the best plan moving forward.
Through SDM, patients lead the decision-making process. However, health professionals still offer evidence-based support for particular treatment options. This approach prioritizes patient autonomy while preserving dignity.
Informed consent plays a powerful role in SDM, giving patients the ability to take charge of their own health and maintain control over their care plan. Evaluating a patient’s decision-making capacity and providing information in a clear, accessible manner helps ensure that consent is both ethically sound and aligned with the patient’s values and understanding.
Once the holistic health assessment is complete, it's time to create a personalized treatment plan. You can use care plan templates, but you’ll still need to personalize the strategy to address the unique needs of the individual.
With patient involvement and collaboration, you can create a whole-person plan that considers SDOH, prioritizes personal values and beliefs, and addresses the physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of the patient.
Together, you and your patient should create measurable and attainable goals. You can then use goal attainment scaling to create the best steps for moving forward and identify the top metrics needed to measure outcomes.
Whether you are helping a patient with chronic disease self-management or working with a patient who has physical and mental health concerns, interprofessional collaboration will be required to fully enact patient-centered care strategies.
The healthcare team must work together to identify the scope of their roles within the patient's care plan and determine which handoffs will work best for the individual patient. Handoffs should prioritize privacy and dignity in care at all times.
Interprofessional case conferences are key care pathways within person-centered care strategies, as they give teams the opportunity to meet together and discuss the case. They should be scheduled on a fairly regular basis.
Clear, readily available documentation allows patients to reference their care plan and access the resources they need to improve family and caregiver support.
Care providers may take action to ensure that the patient is adhering to their treatment plan, such as via remote patient monitoring and medication reconciliation. Throughout the process, it's important for health professionals to provide patients with clear and understandable notes that they can use. Avoid lengthy instructions that are hard to follow and industry jargon that patients may not understand. Always provide directives in the language preferred by the patient.
Privacy and dignity in care should always be a top priority. When sharing documentation with patients, be sure to use secure healthcare technology that protects confidential conversations. You should also ensure that sensitive information is disclosed only with the patient’s permission.
Continuous quality improvement is essential to the success of patient-centered care. Through ongoing education and personalized support, health professionals can support long-term behavior change.
The teach-back method is a strategic intervention in which patients are asked to repeat information in their own words so clinicians can confirm understanding and correct any misconceptions. By incorporating teach-back into routine interactions and providing engaging, relevant educational materials, health professionals can strengthen comprehension, support informed decision-making, and improve adherence.
Through remote patient monitoring and the strategic use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and patient-reported experience measures (PREMs), you can manage patient engagement levels and ensure that they are following their personalized care strategies. Adherence is critically important when it comes to self-management, and adherence levels are higher when patients feel that they can trust their providers to create a plan that works for their unique needs.
Patient-centered care moves beyond a diagnosis by also focusing on the person's goals, values, and context. Through patient-centered care, clinicians co-create plans, share decisions, and coordinate medical, behavioral, and social supports.
No. When you feel a spiritual assessment is necessary, ask permission and offer a brief, client-led question about meaning or beliefs. Document only what’s clinically relevant and integrate supports if the patient wants them.
Use a structured template that allows you to standardize the process while individualizing the content.
Have an open and honest discussion with the patient. Identify the tension, provide options and compromises, and agree on a plan that prioritizes safety while honoring values. Continue to revisit the plan as circumstances or preferences change.
In the event of low health literacy, use plain language, pictograms, and the teach-back method to communicate information. Limit information to 3-5 key points per visit, and provide accessible materials using the preferred language of the patient. If the patient consents, involve a caregiver as needed.
Prioritize social and emotional screenings, and make warm referrals to ensure that patients have access to the resources they need. You can assign a "resource navigator" to the case as well, enabling closed-loop referrals and encouraging follow-up calls.
To measure the outcomes of a personalized care plan, track both clinical markers and patient-reported outcomes that are tied to the patient's goals. Review PROMs and PREMs every 30-90 days, and adjust the plan accordingly.
Patient-centered care rests at the foundation of integrative health, making this an excellent specialty area for anyone who wants to provide holistic, evidence-based care for their patients or clients. The online Master's of Integrative Health at 西瓜电影天堂 equips health professionals with the expertise and practical skills required to implement tailored healthcare solutions in their practice. With a focus on person-centered care and the dignity of each individual, this program produces graduates who are both intuitive and empathetic.
Learn more about our degree programs, request more information about our Christ-centered campus, and apply to 西瓜电影天堂 today.
