The Evolution of Patient-Centered Care

Abstract

Patient-centered has become a central goal for the US healthcare system under the Affordable Act. But haven't patients always been central to the business of hospitals? What is so different about the present reality of patient-centered care?Patient-centered care is used to describe numerous related paradigms but has no universally accepted definition. According to the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (201 1), 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 team who collaborate with healthcare professionals in making clinical decisions . . . When is patient-centered . . . unneeded and unwanted services can be reduced. A healthcare system that is truly patient-centered may provide higher quality healthcare with greater efficiency while improving the patient experience.PATIENT-CENTERED CARE REVISITEDReferences to patient-centered date to the 1950s (Balik et al. 2011) but true provision of patient-centered has not been a priority for healthcare institutions - and for understandable reasons. Patient safety, quality of care, and a healthy operating margin have often been more immediate concerns than patient-centered care, which comprises softer, nonclinical components such as involving family and friends in care, considering the spiritual aspects in care, designing a physical that is healing, and providing nutritious and nurturing food (Frampton et al. 2008). This view no longer stands. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine released its seminal report, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, which identified six aims of improvement for the US healthcare system by asserting that must be safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable.Patient-centered care's move into the mainstream after decades on the fringe is largely the result of the convergence of several evolving social and economic realities:1 . The aging of baby boomers and the associated rise in consumer expectations around the healthcare experience2. Unprecedented access to health information, fueled by the Internet3. The demand for greater transparency in reporting of outcomes, and new governmental incentives to report those results for widespread dissemination to the public4. Increased demand for timely and convenient access to costly medical technologies and pharmaceuticals that continue to drive healthcare costs - including out-of-pocket costs for patients and employer contributions - increasingly skyward (Frampton and Channel 2009)Awareness is growing that to achieve the best outcomes, patients and families must be more actively engaged in decisions about their healthcare and must have enhanced access to information and support (Johnson et al. 2008). Patient-centered shifts the focus from the diagnosis to the patient, a shift that can result in significant improvements in clinical outcomes, patient satisfaction, and cost reduction.EMBRACING THE PLANETREE PHILOSOPHYPlanetree is an internationally recognized leader in patient-centered and has made great strides in advancing the concept. The Planetree model of is a patient-centered, holistic approach to healthcare, promoting mental, emotional, spiritual, social, and physical healing. It empowers patients and families through the exchange of information and encourages healing partnerships with caregivers. It seeks to maximize positive healthcare outcomes by integrating optimal medical therapies and incorporating art and nature into the healing environment (Planetree 2011).Windber Medical Center, a 54-bed hospital in western Pennsylvania, is a Designated Planetree Patient-Centered Hospital. We are the only Planetree hospital in Pennsylvania and one of only thirteen hospitals in the country to have achieved Planetree Designation status, which can be viewed as the gold standard of patientcentered care. …