Amid these efforts to move medical science and technology forward, we see a renewed interest in what lies at the center of all our focus on improving medical treatment; the patient. That rediscovery is an initiative is called patient-centric care, and it’s changing the way we look at medical treatment.
Not A Case But A Person
At its simplest, patient-centric care is all about remembering that someone receiving medical treatment is not just a case number. Patient-centric care remembers that a patient seeking treatment is a person. This person has a past, has preferences, and, perhaps most important of all, has concerns and anxieties about receiving medical treatment. And this person is unlikely to completely understand what is happening.
Patient-centric care, is about putting more effort into the empathetic understanding of a patient, rather than just focusing on the treatments administered to “get the numbers up, and get the patient out.”
Getting Care At Home
One of the biggest innovations with patient-centric care is the virtual hospital. Pioneered by groups like Medically Home, virtual hospitals place a premium on the comfort, security, and recovery of the patient. Eligible patients can recover—or even be treated entirely—in the comfort of their own home.
And patient-centric care is about more than allowing some patients recover at home. While the virtual hospital concept is critical, just as important is personalization. The recovery and treatment a patient receives must go beyond ensuring that the dosage of medicine is right for this specific case. Catering to a patient’s specific needs, like engaging with a Hispanic patient in Spanish, for example, goes a long way towards advancing patient-centric care. Instructing family caregivers, so that a patient is treated by familiar people, creates a better, more comforting treatment experience. Patient-centric care is all about making the patient the priority.
