Achieving patient-centered care across the spectrum

Across the range of health-care problems, patient-centered care has been found to be associated with improved patient outcomes, including improved self-management, patient satisfaction, and medication adherence, and some studies have found evidence for improved clinical outcomes. Data from surveys and research indicate that clinicians often do not take patients' perspectives into account during the decision-making process. This is because clinicians are often challenged by the diversity of situations that arise.

Dr. Glyn Elwyn of the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science is the principal investigator of a study in the current issue of Annals of Family Medicine. Elwyn said that practitioners could use or integrate two methods: shared decision making and motivational interviewing when discussing options for treatment with patients.