Care that is truly patient-centered considers patients’ cultural traditions, their personal preferences and values, their family situations, and their lifestyles. It makes the patient and their loved ones an integral part of the care team who collaborate with health care professionals in making clinical decisions. Patient-centered care puts responsibility for important aspects of self-care and monitoring in patients’ hands — along with the tools and support they need to carry out that responsibility. Patient-centered care ensures that transitions between providers, departments, and health care settings are respectful, coordinated, and efficient. When care is patient centered, unneeded and unwanted services can be reduced.

Advancing patient-centered care is clearly a multi-faceted challenge, and many organizations have achieved remarkable results. IHI, with the support of the Rx Foundation and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is working to identify best practices and promising system changes that enable patient-centered care in three areas:

• Involving patients and families in the design of care
• Reliably meeting patient’s needs and preferences
• Informed shared decision-making

Partnering with Patients and Families to Design a Patient- and Family-Centered Health Care System: Recommendations and Promising Practices

This publication highlights examples of best practices from hospitals, ambulatory programs, medical and nursing schools, funders of health care, patient- and family-led organizations, and other health care entities. These organizations are making exemplary progress in partnering with patients and families to enhance quality and safety and to improve the experience of care.