Truly patient-centered care on medical and surgical units honors the whole person and family, respects individual values and choices, and ensures continuity of care. Patients will say, "They give me exactly the help I want (and need) exactly when I want (and need) it.”
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 on medical-surgical units, unneeded and unwanted services can be reduced.
IHI has developed a How-to Guide containing measures, changes, and tools that focus on developing patient-centered care processes.
How-to Guide: