CI #PCA01

Bio-Psycho-Social Approach

What is Patient-Centered Approach

Healthcare is continuously evolving globally, one reason being the increase in incidence and prevalence of patients with (multiple) chronic diseases. In response to these changes, the complexity of healthcare is continuously expanding and the delivery of healthcare, even with all the advantages, may often be complicated, uncoordinated, and unsafe.

According to the US Institute of Medicine, patient-centered care has a potential to address some of these deficits in the healthcare system. Therefore patient-centered care has a high priority in the restructuring of healthcare in the twentyfirst century.

The federal government of the USA has established a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute that underlines their recommendations for changes in healthcare. These recommendations have been developed, however, without patient participation.

As Lorig (2012) suggests, “if a service is to be patient centered, then both the health care system and the patient have to be involved in determining what this means. Each has its own view of meaning, and patientcentered care will never be achieved if patients are not part of the solution” (p. 524). This highlights the importance of patient-centeredness in healthcare policy- making today.

There are many different definitions of patient-centeredness in healthcare. Patient-centeredness was first described in medicine by McWhinney (1989) as, “the physician tries to enter the patients” world, to see the illness through the eyes of the patients.

Lorig K 2012 Patient-centered care: Depends on the point of view Health Education and Behavior 39: 523–525.

McWhinney IR 1989 An acquaintance with particulars. Family Medicine 21: 296–298.

From: Wijma, A. J., Bletterman, A. N., Clark, J. R., Vervoort, S. C., Beetsma, A., Keizer, D., … & Van Wilgen, C. P. (2017). Patient-centeredness in physiotherapy: What does it entail? A systematic review of qualitative studies. Physiotherapy theory and practice, 33(11), 825-840

Lesson:

What´s happening in USA. Watch and reflect
A practice example in Parkinson disease. Watch and reflect
Could we go further? Patient … Person. Watch and reflect
Drill 1. «A Pt´s example» Patients’ perceptions of self-management of chronic low back pain: evidence for enhancing patient education and support. Read and think
Drill 2. Share your thoughts in the BB forum, about the reading. Participate, at least in 1 thread and answer, at least, to one of your classmate opinions

Get the full lesson here

If you want to know more:

play · A video done by Physical Therapy student Scott Bentley, describing how patient-centered care is practiced by clinicians and experienced by their patients. Really worthy, with the patient´s voice
book · Personalized Medicine: Empowered Patients in the 21st Century?
paper · Wijma, A. J., Bletterman, A. N., Clark, J. R., Vervoort, S. C., Beetsma, A., Keizer, D., … & Van Wilgen, C. P. (2017). Patient-centeredness in physiotherapy: What does it entail? A systematic review of qualitative studies. Physiotherapy theory and practice, 33(11), 825-840