Nowadays there is a tendency of increased patient-centered care, according to which the great importance is given to communication, mutual respect, and emotional interaction between healthcare professionals and patients. This implies a transition from the traditional model adopted in health care to the patient-oriented strategies and the engagement of patients as well as their awareness of their own health (Hood, 2014). In other words, the patient is transferred to the position of an active participant in the treatment process. The formation of a new patient-centered care requires an appropriate training of nurses benefiting both at performance and cost-effective levels.
Two Main Points
The first point of the patient-centered care is associated with outcomes and involves a range of benefits. According to Jayadevappa and Chhatre (2011), “patient-centered care can play a vital role in healthcare policy, allocation of resources and delivering appropriate care by effectively integrating patient and provider perspective” (p. 22). Trust and agreement in the context of patient-nurse relationships are the two issues promoting the deeper understanding of the disease details by the patients. In turn, it will affect the perceived approach of patients to their health. Due to the closer interaction between patients and professional nurses, the latter can have an opportunity to receive more relevant feedback, the accurate analysis of which can significantly enhance the health care delivery quality (Hood, 2014). Furthermore, patient-centered care is to make health care sector more available regarding the care coordination. In particular, such forms as distance consultations, group meetings, and telephone appointments seem to be followed by a more effective allocation of resources.
The second point of patient-centered care concerns potential barriers that might occur in the implementation of this system. The shortage of the appropriate culture competence in nurses can seriously restrain the accomplishment of the mentioned care. Taking into account that patient-centered care requires effective communication, nurses are to be professionals knowing different strategies and tools to communicate with patients successfully (Hood, 2014). In case they have insufficient knowledge and skills, it is important to provide a special training. Also, another barrier can relate to the resistance of nurses to new health care delivery patterns. Considering that implementation of patient-centered care focuses on change, it is essential to make sure that employees clearly understand the new system (Hood, 2014). Through understanding the value and benefits of the changes, they should be able to convince patients of the great importance of this method as the latter can express some extent of resistance as well. Finally, among the perspective barriers, one might note that nurses can encounter the lack of resources or their inappropriate allocation. Therefore, additional resources might be required to help nurses to adjust to new requirements (Jayadevappa & Chhatre, 2011). Speaking of future perspective, patient-centered care is to provide a reduction of the operational costs employing the enhanced allocation system and workflow.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it should be stressed that patient-centered care is an innovative approach to health care delivery focused on the close interaction between professional nurses and patients. The main positive outcomes of this system include trustful relationships, relevant feedback, and increased accessibility to health care services. Among potential barriers, there is the lack of cultural competence in nurses, the resistance of nurses to the change of workflow, and extra costs. The effectiveness of patient-centered care is evidenced by various scholarly studies. The pivotal condition for the realization of this system is a clear understanding of its principles and mission.
Reference List
Hood, L. J. (2014). Leddy & Pepper’s conceptual bases of professional nursing (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Jayadevappa, R., & Chhatre, S. (2011). Patient centered care – a conceptual model and review of the state of the art. The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, 4(1), 15-25.