Review of developments in person-centred healthcare

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a shift in orientation towards person-centredness as part of a global move towards humanising and centralising the person within healthcare. Person-centredness, underpinned by robust philosophical and theoretical concepts, has an increasingly solid footprint in policy and practice, but research and education lag behind. This article considers the emergence of person-centredness, including person centred care, and how it is positioned in healthcare policy around the world, while recognising a dominant philosophical positioning in Western philosophy, concepts and theories. Second, the evolution of person-centred healthcare over the past five years is reviewed. Published evidence of person-centred healthcare developments is drawn on, as well as information gathered from key stakeholders who engaged with the partner organisations in an Erasmus+ project to develop a European person-centred healthcare curriculum framework. Five themes are identified, which underpin the literature and stakeholder perspectives: - Policy development for transformation. - Participatory strategies for public engagement. - Healthcare integration and coordination strategies. - Frameworks for practice. - Process and outcome measurement. These themes reflect the World Health Organization’s global perspective on people centred and integrated healthcare, and give some indication of development priorities as person-centred healthcare systems continue to be developed.