6^th World Nursing and Healthcare Conference

Biography

Biography: Ebru Ozturk Copur

Abstract

The term person-centered care (PCC) has been frequently used in the literatüre. Also, “individualized-care,” “person-centered care,” “patient-centered care,” “client-centered care,” and “resident-centered care” terms are used emphasizes a partnership in care between patients and healthcare professionals. Person-centered care is advocated by WHO as a key component of quality health care. PCC was defined as “care that is respectful and responsive to individual patient preferences, needs, and values, and ensuring that patient values guide all clinical decisions” . McCormack (2003) defined PCC as “the formation of a therapeutic narrative between professional and patient that is built on mutual trust, understanding and a sharing of collective knowledge”. The concept of PCC has a long history and tradition in health care. The origins of this concept could be traced back to Florence Nightingale, “who differentiated nursing from medicine by its focus on the patient rather than the disease”. The traditional clinician-centered or disease-focused medical model is being changed to one in which care is customized to each person. (PCC) has been recognized as one of the critical elements needed in the redesign of health care system. This is a monumental task for the traditional health care setting where efficiency, standardization, and architectural design were created to organize systems around medical providers rather than patients. PCC is an essential component of quality health care delivery, and the concept is increasingly being advocated and incorporated into the training of health care providers. A central component of PCC is that the professional and patient jointly develop a care and treatment plan using resources identified in each patient’s illness history but also by defining potential barriers. While nurses agree that patient focus has been central to nursing, the context must be broader as nurses work as members of inter professional teams. Hence, understanding the fundamental elements of patient-centered care (PCC) in nursing is essential in the provision of health care today. To recognize the significance of this need, one must have an understanding of contextual factors influencing health care and the provision of PCC. In providing PCC, healthcare providers “identify, respect, and care about patient differences, values, preferences, and expressed needs; relieve pain and suffering; coordinate continuous care; listen to and continuously advocate disease prevention, wellness, and promotion of healthy lifestyles, including a focus on population health” (IOM, 2003). As a result, PCC is a phrase used by healthcare professionals to describe a quality of interactions between patients and healthcare workers that ultimately affect patient outcomes. The inherent goal of providing PCC is to offer excellence and improve the quality of patient care.