Did you know that patient satisfaction in Australian healthcare facilities has been steadily rising over the past decade? Today, we're delving into the key factors behind this remarkable shift.

Patient-centered care is about treating a client or participant receiving healthcare in a responsive manner, with dignity and respect and allowing them to get involved in all decisions about their health. This sort of care is also called ‘person-centered care’. The approach is based on the rights of a person in terms of their healthcare.

Patient-centered care also means putting the person in need of healthcare, or the patient, at the ‘center’ of the services provided by healthcare professionals.

Respect, emotional support, physical comfort, information and communication, continuity and transition, care coordination, involvement of family and caregivers, and access to care are the widely accepted dimensions of patient-centered care.

To make this possible, Patient-centric care must enable:

Having a say in the decision-making process when planning care and treatment.

Respecting individual preferences and diversity.

Recognizing needs and respecting rights to make health decisions and choices.

Right to comment, ask questions, and express concern about healthcare.

Patient-Centric Care is also known as ‘person-centered care’.

Patient-centered care is more than just how healthcare professionals treat patients. It is also about how healthcare services and governments create and support policies to put healthcare users and not the healthcare organizations, at the center of care.

Definition of Patient-Centric Care:

Patient-centered care means respecting and responding to the preferences, needs, and values of patients and consumers. Patient-centered care is widely accepted to include respect, emotional support, physical comfort, information and communication, continuity and transition, care coordination, involvement of family and caregivers, and access to measuring patients' experiences of health care.

Research demonstrates that patient-centered care improves patient care experiences and creates public value for services. When healthcare executives, doctors, nurses and professionals, patients and families work in partnership, the quality and safety of healthcare rises, costs decrease, provider satisfaction increases, and the patient care experience progresses. Patient-centered care can also positively affect business metrics such as finances, quality, safety, satisfaction, and market share.

Patient-centered care is recognized as a dimension of high-quality health care in its own right, because of that it is identified as an influential quality aiming for improved care.

Benefits of Patient-Centric Care:

Patient-centric care in Australia focuses on placing the patient at the center of healthcare decision-making and customizing care to meet their individual needs. This approach has several positive impacts on the patient experience, including:

Improved and effective Communication:

Patient-centric care promotes open and transparent communication between healthcare providers and patients. This brings about a collaborative relationship, where patients feel heard, understood, and involved in their care. Enhanced communication leads to better patient satisfaction and engagement.

Personalized Care:

Patient-centric care is characterized by individualized treatment plans based on patients' unique needs, preferences, and values. This personalized approach improves patient outcomes, as treatments are tailored to their specific circumstances, leading to better health outcomes and increased patient satisfaction.

Empowerment and Engagement:

Patient-centric care empowers patients to actively participate in their healthcare decisions. It encourages shared decision-making, where patients are provided with information, options, and support to make informed choices about their treatment. This involvement in decision-making leads to increased patient satisfaction and a sense of ownership over their healthcare journey.

Continuity of Care:

Patient-centric care emphasizes continuity and coordination of care across different healthcare settings and providers. As a result, patients receive consistent and integrated care, reducing the likelihood of medical errors, unnecessary tests, and fragmented care. Continuity of care contributes to a positive patient experience and improved health outcomes.

Enhanced Patient Safety:

By actively involving patients in their care, patient-centric approaches promote patient safety. As part of medication management and treatment planning, patients are encouraged to voice their concerns, ask questions, and actively participate. As a result of this collaboration, errors, adverse events, and overall patient safety are reduced.

It's important to note that the positive impact of patient-centric care may vary depending on individual circumstances and healthcare settings. In Australia, patient-centric care has the potential to provide a number of advantages.

Key Elements of Patient-Centric Care (PCC):

In a large and intricate healthcare system striving for efficiency, some busy doctors and nurses may tend to treat patient conditions only on the basis of symptoms and scientific evidence. Scientific analysis and treatment are the foundation of modern health care, but it may lead to reduced consideration of the patient as a person.

Patient-centered care powerfully demonstrates that fully involving the individual patient as a person at all stages with unique needs, concerns, and preferences will lead to more effective and satisfying outcomes.

The patient-centered care approach to health care treats each person respectfully as an individual human being and not as a condition to be treated. It involves not just the patient, but families, participants, caregivers, and other supporters. It is concerned about the comfort of the patient and surroundings as well as their beliefs and values.

A patient-centered approach makes care safer and of higher quality. It provides demonstrable personal, clinical, and organizational benefits. It also gratifies an ethical imperative – involving patients in their own care and in the planning and governance of the health system is the right thing to do.

Healthcare organizations that are more patient-centered also have more positive outcomes, such as greater satisfaction with care, greater job satisfaction among healthcare professionals, increased quality and safety of care, and greater quality of life and well-being of patients.

Influencing the health belief of patients

Australia, as a whole, and the different and distinct Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups, need be connected and understood as to why certain healthcare practices and methods take place, it is the healthcare executives and providers’ responsibility to ensure that patients are aware of the treatments they receive, helping them help you treat them, making understating and healthcare altogether reliable and enabling them to place their faith in the cause. This is all made possible with individual care and focus provided in patient-centric care.

Key strategies for building patient-centered care into the systems of healthcare organizations include regular monitoring and reporting of patient feedback data; engaging patients, families, and caregivers as partners; demonstrating committed senior leadership; building staff capacity and a supportive work environment; establishing performance accountability; and supporting a learning organization culture.

Implementation of Patient-Centric Care in Australian Healthcare Facilities:

There are several national policies, reports of state-based inquiries, and a variety of private and jurisdictional initiatives supporting a patient-centered approach in Australia, including the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, the Australian Safety and Quality Framework for Health Care, the National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards, and other national policies.

National health reform proposals (such as the proposed Performance and Accountability Framework) provide further incentives to improve patient-centered care by linking it to performance and funding. Another driver for improving patient-centered care is the expected establishment of a National Performance Authority, which would report transparently on a range of performance indicators, including 'patient satisfaction' for public and private hospitals, local Hospital Networks and Medicare Locals.

Public reporting and financial incentives, among other methods employed in the US and the UK to raise healthcare quality generally, have recently become policy-level drivers for enhancing patient-centered care. The Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights, the National Safety and Quality Framework, various national service standards, state-based inquiries, and a number of initiatives supported by the private and public sectors support a patient-centered approach in Australia.

Recent national health reform agreements (such the 2010 National Health and Hospitals Network Agreement's Performance and Accountability Framework) provides additional incentives to promote patient-centered care by connecting it to results and funds. The creation of a National Performance Authority, which will report openly on a variety of performance indicators, including "patient satisfaction" for every Local Hospital Network, public hospital, private hospital, and primary healthcare organization, is another factor in the improvement of patient-centered care.

As a result, patient-centered care is catching the attention of Australian healthcare institutions.

Challenges and Solutions:

How to identify patient-centered care

If you are a patient and not sure whether you are receiving patient-centered care, ask yourself:

Have you been asked about your needs and preferences and is the healthcare professional working to meet them?

Have you been urged and assisted in taking part in the planning and decision-making processes for your care?

During consultations, have you been offered the choice to bring in a support person or an interpreter?

Has the communication from the doctor or nurse been clear and, in a language, you can understand?

Has the healthcare professional shown respect for you as an individual?

Does the healthcare organization have clear feedback process? Have you been told about these?

What to do if you don't like your treatment

If you feel your doctor, other healthcare professional or healthcare service is not putting your needs and choices at the center of your care, you have the right to say something about it and to have your concerns addressed. This also holds true if you don't like how someone you're taking care of is being handled. 

The Role of Technology in Patient-Centric Care:

Technology today, can support and enhance patient-centric care in healthcare facilities in ways in which technology can contribute to patient-centric care which includes:

Telehealth and Remote Monitoring:

Technology allows patients to access healthcare services remotely through telehealth platforms. Most of the medical practices around Australia have telehealth portals, enabling patients and participants to contact their healthcare services from the comfort of their homes, improving convenience and accessibility. Remote monitoring devices can also help healthcare providers monitor patients' health conditions and intervene when necessary, enhancing patient-centric care.

Patient Portals and Health Apps:

Patient portals and health apps which include HotDoc, health direct, Express Plus Medicare, and Healthengine are a few health apps that provide patients with access to their health information, appointment scheduling, medication reminders, and educational resources. These tools empower patients to actively engage in their care and make informed decisions, promoting patient-centered care.

Electronic Health Records (EHRs):

Maintaining Electronic Health Records enables healthcare providers to access and share patient information easily, ensuring continuity of care and reducing the need for redundant tests or procedures. This facilitates a more patient-centered approach by allowing healthcare professionals to have a comprehensive view of the patient's medical history and make informed decisions.

Decision Support Systems:

Technology can provide healthcare providers with decision-support systems that offer evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. This can assist healthcare professionals in delivering personalized and patient-centered care by considering individual patient factors and preferences.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, Patient-centered care or patient-centric care enhances the positive impact on both patients and healthcare providers. This, leads to better health outcomes, increasing patient satisfaction and improving healthcare delivery overall, creating Australia as one of the best healthcare utilizers and providers in the world.

We, at Medfuture urge healthcare facilities in Australia to prioritize patient-centric care and provide practical steps for implementing it. This could include fostering a patient-centered culture, involving and encouraging patients in decision-making, and promoting effective communication between healthcare professionals and patients.

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