What is person-centred care – and how can we make it a reality?
3 September 2025
The philosophy of person-centred care is not simply ‘nice to have’. It has measurable benefits to patient outcomes, health system efficiency and health equity.
Person-centred care is a compelling and widely endorsed attribute of high-quality healthcare. The term originates from a movement that criticised modern health systems as overly procedural and reductionist in their biomedical focus, and sought a renewed focus on shared humanity and the value of human experience.
But person-centred care is a conundrum – a concept of obvious value (after all, few people surely are against it), yet often lacking in clear definitions – and, at least in mainstream use, not always deeply examined.
There are many structured, robustly evaluated models based on the concept of person-centred care, and these are compelling foundations. Wider research also suggests that when people are actively involved in their own care, they experience better recovery rates, lower healthcare utilisation and higher satisfaction.
But patient advocates and policy experts should still approach local discussions on the concept carefully, striving for clarity and precision in how the term is applied, and recognising that implementing person-centred care is not without its challenges – both practical and conceptual.
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Research suggests that when people are actively involved in their own care, they experience better recovery rates, lower healthcare utilisation and higher satisfaction.
Not everyone agrees on what ‘person-centred care’ stands for
Despite compelling examples of what person-centred care can achieve, there remains no consensus on a consistent definition. For example, the terms ‘patient-centred’, ‘person-centred’ and ‘people-centred’ are sometimes treated as valid and compatible concepts by researchers and key commentators, while others see them as strongly differentiated.
In any case, in the mainstream setting, all of these terms can be misunderstood as being ‘something we do already’ or ‘about being nice to people’, dismissed as a corporate platitude, or considered something that will somehow arise without systematic efforts.
Definitions and interventions vary, likely reflecting the specialisms of healthcare professionals and the needs of the populations they serve. For example, there may be a notable prioritisation placed on emotional support in fertility treatment, on exploring and preserving personhood in dementia care, and on shared decision-making in heart valve disease. Other conditions where long-term management or chronicity are key – such as heart failure or cancer – may emphasise the integration of medical specialties, care planning and patient review into care pathways, alongside patient empowerment and activation and improved patient–physician communication.
Organisational change requires championing from leaders and buy-in from staff
Any ambitious person-centred initiative is, by definition, a challenge to the status quo that asks for a shift in local culture, organisational models and routine practices. Leaders need to champion that transition beyond the clinic into organisational strategy, training and governance, ensuring that change is both systemic and sustainable.
Co-designing solutions with patients and front-line clinicians ensures that person-centred care initiatives stand the best chance of tackling local waste, system issues and unmet needs. This approach can also generate patient champions – valuable co-creators and ambassadors in the longer journey. Engaging front-line staff in the design of any process can address concerns and foster a culture of shared ownership.
The Planetree model in the US, for example, demonstrates how person-centred care can thrive when embedded in organisational culture. Local leaders champion not only a new service model but also the core principles into strategy, staff training, evaluation frameworks and governance. They also empower healthcare professionals to take ownership of change and ensure patients’ voices shape services. Interestingly, Planetree-accredited hospitals have performed well in terms of patient experience, patient loyalty and staff engagement.
Workforce adaptations and technological advances offer opportunities to realise person-centred care at scale
Who is going to deliver person-centred care models in the long term – and how? Nurses often serve as the main point of contact for patients, and are key players in adapting care approaches to individuals, making them critical to many leading case studies in this field. However, it is not a given that people in nursing and related roles automatically have the necessary competences or clear remit from management to focus on and deliver person-centred care. Moreover, the need for more formal training in shared decision-making, communication and patient engagement is consistently raised by commentators as a vital pillar of a person-centred approach.
Technology can offer hugely supportive platforms to strengthen the delivery of person-centred care, including the integration of healthcare teams, remote consultations, home-based monitoring and patient engagement in decision-making. Digital health records, patient portals and AI-driven decision-support systems can also improve information sharing and coordination, so care is more accessible, continuous and personalised. Notably, the UK’s Picker Institute recently called for the NHS to ‘embrace the transformative potential of new and emerging technologies’ in driving a person-centred health system.
It’s important not to neglect the ‘spiritual’ side of person-centred practice, which cannot be reduced to metrics alone.
Measurement matters, but so does the subjective side of person-centred care
Measurement is a persistent challenge in person-centred care, not least because existing healthcare metrics have been haphazard in their attempts to measure it, while traditional performance regimes have often prioritised clinical outcomes over patient experience, engagement and wellbeing. Expanding person-led outcome measures, such as patient-reported experience and outcomes, is likely to be vital to meaningful organisational change. Over time, quality feedback from patients can also help secure leadership support and lay the groundwork for more sustainable financial backing. And there is evidence that it can help improve quality of life, patient–physician communication and disease control.
However, it’s important not to neglect the ‘spiritual’ side of person-centred practice, which cannot be reduced to metrics alone. Facilitating a deeper connection with healthcare practitioners’ personal ethics and values can easily be dismissed as fanciful or vague, but case studies suggest this area is vital for the consistent realisation of a person-centred ethos in the face of front-line pressures, and not least staff satisfaction.
Furthermore, such values can be actively cultivated in professional environments – for instance through structured models for training, group counselling and discussion sessions. For example, more than 375 organisations in the US have implemented Schwartz Rounds – structured opportunities for staff from all disciplines to reflect on the emotional aspects of their work and person-centred practice. And 1,500 trusts and hospices in the UK have also done so.
Moving person-centred care from a broad concept to actionable, local solutions
Person-centred care should not be dismissed as a tentative or unproven concept; its key intellectual advocates are often rooted in real-world practice, and evaluations have shown repeatable and beneficial approaches to reorganising care services and patient pathways. All of this can only be underpinned by an ethos of compassion and determination to uphold the values of humanity and ‘personhood’ for patients and staff alike. However, transforming this from vision into reality requires a concrete, business-like proposal for improvement relative to usual care, and a strong local consensus for change.
We should admire the determination and achievements of the healthcare practitioners who play an active role in advancing both the science and the intellectual debate behind this concept; particular credit is due to the Gothenburg Centre for Person-Centred Care and its 2024 international summit, which gathered many of the leading figures behind this debate. If we can continue to shift the focus from disease-centred to person-centred healthcare, we can create environments that are more effective, sustainable and equitable – delivering care that works for everyone.