Patient- and family-centered care encourages the active collaboration and shared decision-making between patients, families, and providers to design and manage a customized and comprehensive care plan. Most definitions of patient-centered care have several common elements that affect the way health systems and facilities are designed and managed, and the way care is delivered: The health care system’s mission, vision, values, leadership, and quality-improvement drivers are aligned to patient-centered goals. Care is collaborative, coordinated, and accessible. The right care is provided at the right time and the right place. Care focuses on physical comfort as well as emotional well-being. Patient and family preferences, values, cultural traditions, and socioeconomic conditions are respected. Patients and their families are an expected part of the care team and play a role in decisions at the patient and system level. The presence of family members in the care setting is encouraged and facilitated. Information is shared fully and in a timely manner so that patients and their family members can make informed decisions.
Elements of patient-centered care