Chapter 7 - Person-Centred Care

Summary

Person-centred care (PCC) is a healthcare approach that emphasises the importance of individual patient preferences, needs, and values. It involves a shift in the power dynamic of medical consultations, allowing for shared control between the professional and the patient. The UK’s National Health Service has prioritised six processes to enable PCC, which include shared decision making and personalised care planning. Person-centred care aims to enhance patients’ skills and confidence for self-management by focusing on what matters to them rather than solely on their health conditions. The Health Foundation’s model of PCC highlights the need for care to be personalised, coordinated, and respectful of the patient’s dignity. Lifestyle Medicine, which largely focuses on supporting people to change behaviour, greatly depends on PCC as it empowers individuals to manage their health. Care planning and shared decision making are collaborative processes that balance the expertise of both the clinician and the patient. Understanding a patient’s ‘activation level’ can be useful for tailoring support to their ability to make lifestyle changes. Ultimately, PCC enhances the outcomes of Lifestyle Medicine by fostering patient self-management and improving the quality of treatment decisions.