Putting patient-centred care into practice

Abstract

The evidence base supporting the potential benefits of patient-centred care is growing and GPs should be encouraged to integrate this into their practice. Attempting to understand the patients in front of you, their ideas, concerns and expectations, and how their current illness is affecting their day-to-day life, may allow a more effective diagnosis and plan to be made. This could improve patient compliance with the plan, as well as more efficient use of resources and improvements in health outcomes. Patient-centred care and associated communication skills are increasingly highlighted in the education and training for general practice. This article outlines some of the skills in patient-centred care that may be applied during the consultation. By drawing attention to these skills and suggesting ways of implementing them despite the perceived barriers of time pressures and patient preferences for different consulting styles, we aim to increase their use in daily consultations.