[Jaime]

I just heard about this... Patient-Centered Care -- has anyone else heard about it. Can someone tell me what it means?

[kimmiejs]

Guiding Principles Patient-Centered Care:

1. Care is customized and reflects patient needs, values, and choices.

2. Care is based on continuous healing relationships.

3. The patient is the source of control for their care.

4. Patient safety is a visible priority.

5. Transparency is the rule in the care of the patient.

6. All Team Members are considered as Caregivers.

7. Care is provided in a healing environment of comfort, peace, and support.

8. Knowledge and information are freely shared between and among patients, care partners, physicians, and other caregivers.

9. All Caregivers cooperate with one another through a common focus on the best interests and personal goals of the patient.

10. Families and friends of the patient are considered an essential part of the care team

[SoldierNurse]

Here is an expanded version...

Patient-Centered Care

The report outlines 10 simple rules that should govern how health care is improved. The rules are intended to make the health system more responsive to patients' needs and preferences and to encourage their participation in decision-making. For example, the report examines how implementing care based on continuous and healing relationships could help a young man who recently learned he is HIV-positive.

Ten Rules for Health Care Reform:

1. Care based on continuous healing relationships. Patients should receive care whenever they need it and in many forms, not just face-to-face visits. This rule implies that the health care system should be responsive at all times (24 hours a day, every day) and that access to care should be provided over the Internet, by telephone, and by other means in addition to face-to-face visits.

2. Customization based on patient needs and values. The system of care should be designed to meet the most common types of needs, but have the capability to respond to individual patient choices and preferences.

3. The patient as the source of control. Patients should be given the necessary information and the opportunity to exercise the degree of control they choose over health care decisions that affect them. The health system should be able to accommodate differences in patient preferences and encourage shared decision making.

4. Shared knowledge and the free flow of information. Patients should have unfettered access to their own medical information and to clinical knowledge. Clinicians and patients should communicate effectively and share information.

5. Evidence-based decision making. Patients should receive care based on the best available scientific knowledge. Care should not vary illogically from clinician to clinician or from place to place.

6. Safety as a system property. Patients should be safe from injury caused by the care system. Reducing risk and ensuring safety require greater attention to systems that help prevent and mitigate errors.

7. The need for transparency. The health care system should make information available to patients and their families that allows them to make informed decisions when selecting a health plan, hospital, or clinical practice, or choosing among alternative treatments. This should include information describing the system's performance on safety, evidence-based practice, and patient satisfaction.

8. Anticipation of needs. The health system should anticipate patient needs, rather than simply reacting to events.

9. Continuous decrease in waste. The health system should not waste resources or patient time.

10. Cooperation among clinicians. Clinicians and institutions should actively collaborate and communicate to ensure an appropriate exchange of information and coordination of care.