Effect of Patient-Centered Care (PCC) on Patient Satisfaction at Hospital Discharge

Patient-Centered Care (PCC), also known as individualized patient care or negotiated care, focuses on the patient's right to have his/her values and beliefs respected as an individual.This respect is viewed as part of a commitment to build a deep understanding of the patient as a thinking and feeling individual with the ability to change and develop. A person-centered model of care requires a nurse to work with an individual's beliefs, values, wants, needs and desires.This adaptation to a patient's personal needs requires the nurse to be flexible, respectful, and reciprocal when providing patient care. If the patient's expectations are not appropriate to the type of care needed to heal or if the patient refuses or denies a specific type of treatment that is known as influencing ones quality of care, the nurse must negotiate with the patient. Negotiation incorporates education, which is believed to increase the patient's level of understanding. In addition, negotiation allows the nurse and patient to define a level of treatment that is specific to the patient's needs but still seen as a quality indicator.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) has listed PCC as one of six national quality aims for improvement. The IOM's vision is that all health professionals will be educated to provide and deliver PCC as part of an interdisciplinary team. In 2001, the IOM report "Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century" recommends a mixture of approaches to achieve their vision . These approaches include an appropriate training environment, research, public reporting and leadership. At present, there is little evidence to support the critical role nurse clinicians' play in providing PCC and satisfying patient's needs.