Patient-centered care is an approach that has gained much prominence in modern day care. This care model has more focus on the interaction between the patient and tits a paradigm shift from the physician-centered care in which the physician’s skills and knowledge had all the influence on the care plan, medication as well as therapy adopted (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014). Patient-centered care is based on giving the patient more autonomy as well as more involvement in the decision-making process to facilitate safer and quality care techniques which suit each patient. Through employing measurable skills and knowledge, the patient-centered care approach focuses on determining the most important aspects of care as defined or described by the patient so that the healthcare provider is regarded as a source of information to guide the patient in decision making.
The patient-centered approach is based on the tenets that the a personal relationship, communication and empathy are more important to the patient and tend to achieve much better outcomes as opposed to reliance on the knowledge and skills of the physician with less regards to the relationship that hold with the patient (Oates, ET AL., 2000). This is more visible in the contemporary society that has a diversity of cultures, religions and values that all have a significant impact on care plan and the expected outcomes. This then implies that cultural and linguist competences which have been largely advocated for in modern day care are a vital requirement to ensure that the communication between the physician and the patient is not compromised (Epstein & Street, 2011). This model of care is less expensive and more humanistic since it dwells on ensuring that the patient adopts self-management techniques in care. Without compromising on the need for medication and therapy or any limitations in the scope of practice of the physician, this model focuses on using the patient as the designer and primary implementer of the care plan to reduce the cases of expensive testing, prescriptions, referrals and hospitalizations. The fundamental aspect is the relationship between the physician and the patient (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014). As long as it is regarded as a working relationship, the model is destined to produce positive results in the very end.
While most healthcare systems and healthcare organizations have advocated the application of patient-centered care approaches, the same has not been possible in the funding and support systems to ensure full implementation of these models. Firstly, the current reimbursement systems and physician practice models do not provide motivational channels for the patient-centered care to succeed. The physicians are not paid in relation to the encounters with the patient, but rather the summation of the care they provide on an hourly basis. On the other hand, organizations are known to pay the physicians on the skills and knowledge they offer within the institutions as opposed to the patient encounters and outcomes. On the other hand, policies and guidelines in most institutions run contrary to the ability of providing mechanisms that can facilitate patient-centered care (Epstein & Street, 2011).
Despite these challenges, a solution that would support and help increase the adoption of this care model in healthcare institutions is the formation of Accountable Care Organizations (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2014). Through provision of financial incentives to promote patient-centered care, the ACOs would fairly help develop organizational environments that do not just talk about patient-centered care, but are motivated enough to adopt them. Shaping the organizational culture and motivating the workforce to adopt these models is the key to ensuring their full adoption.
References
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2014). Patient-Centered Care | pcmh.ahrq.gov. Retrieved from http://www.pcmh.ahrq.gov/page/patient-centered-care
Epstein, R. M., & Street, R. L. (2011). The values and value of patient-centered care. The Annals of Family Medicine, 9(2), 100-103.
Oates, J., Weston, W. W., & Jordan, J. (2000). The impact of patient-centered care on outcomes. Fam Pract, 49, 796-804.
