Patient-Centered Care Essay

Patient-centered primary care is beginning to form the cornerstone of quality health care, although there remains to be a separation from ideal patient care and the reality of the situation. Health care services that are focused on the specific needs of each individual are an important step forward to making an improvement in overall health outcomes and patient satisfaction with health services.

Dimensions of Patient-Centered Care

According to the Picker Institute, there are eight8 primary dimensions of patient-centered care. There These were originally created with hospital care in mind, but are equally relevant to primary care services. They are:

1. Respect for the values, preferences and expressed needs of the patient

2. Information

This allows them to have a better understanding of their health and improves the likelihood that they will adhere to medical recommendations.

Adequate communication among the primary care team members is also important, including sharing of patient information, so all health professionals have access to the most up-to-date records. This allows the optimal decisions to be made for the recommended treatment plan, based on the current situation of the patient.

Vision For Patient-Centered Primary Care Practice

A “2020 vision” for health care in America has been expressedconveyed to include access to services, patient-centered care, decisions based on scientific evidence and affordable health insurance for all individuals. Additionally, this vision emphasizes a commitment to the continual improvement of the health sector to lead to better public health outcomes.

Patient-centered care lies at the core of this vision. The benefits of tailoring health care decisions to the individual patient are well recognized, and the medical sector is looking to take the future of the profession in this direction.

Another vision for patient-centered care devised at a conference in Salzburg was as