What does person-centered care mean?

September 25, 2025 •

4 min read

According to the World Health Organization, person-centered care is defined as empowering people to take charge of their own health rather than being passive recipients of services. The core idea of this approach is to provide integrated health services that are responsive to an individual's goals, values, and preferences, not just their medical diagnosis.

Quick Summary

Person-centered care is a holistic healthcare approach that places the individual's unique needs, values, and preferences at the center of their treatment plan, promoting active participation and shared decision-making.

Key Points

Holistic Focus: Person-centered care considers an individual's full context, including their physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being, not just their medical diagnosis.
Empowerment: This approach moves away from a paternalistic model, actively involving and empowering individuals to take a central role in their own healthcare decisions.
Respect and Dignity: It is built on treating every individual with respect, honoring their values, preferences, and unique life experiences throughout their care journey.
Shared Decision-Making: Communication and collaboration are key, with care providers and the individual working together as partners to develop personalized care plans.
Improved Outcomes: Implementing PCC leads to better patient satisfaction, increased adherence to treatment plans, and improved overall health outcomes by aligning care with what matters most to the individual.
Beyond Patient-Centered: While related, PCC is broader and more holistic than patient-centered care, which tends to focus on the immediate clinical context rather than the individual's entire life.

The Foundational Principles of Person-Centered Care

Person-centered care (PCC) is a philosophy and practice that fundamentally shifts the focus of healthcare from the disease to the person experiencing it. This holistic approach considers not only the physical health of an individual but also their emotional, social, and spiritual well-being. At its core, PCC is built upon several foundational principles that guide how care is planned and delivered.

Respect and Dignity

Treating individuals with respect, dignity, and compassion is a cornerstone of PCC. This involves acknowledging a person's autonomy and valuing their unique life story, experiences, and perspective. In practice, this means care providers take the time to build a relationship with the person, listen attentively, and treat them as an equal partner in their own care. The person’s values and beliefs are given precedence, fostering a trusting and collaborative relationship rather than a paternalistic one.

Empowerment and Collaboration

Empowerment is central to the person-centered model. Instead of receiving instructions, individuals are empowered to participate actively in decisions about their health. This collaborative process involves healthcare providers sharing information in an accessible and understandable way, helping the person identify their own goals, and supporting them in developing the skills and confidence to manage their health. This can lead to increased confidence, self-esteem, and better long-term health management.

Holistic and Individualized Care

Unlike a one-size-fits-all approach, PCC recognizes that each person is unique and has different needs, preferences, and goals. This means that a care plan is tailored specifically to the individual, taking into account their unique strengths, social circumstances, and life context. This might involve adjusting daily routines in a long-term care facility to match a person's lifelong habits or factoring a patient's stress levels into their treatment plan. It is about designing support to fit the individual, not making the individual fit the service.

Coordination and Integration

For person-centered care to be truly effective, it requires coordinated and integrated care across different health systems and providers. This means that primary care physicians, specialists, and other support services work seamlessly together to provide comprehensive care. Effective communication and a common understanding of the individual's goals prevent disjointed services and ensure a consistent, holistic approach.

Person-Centered vs. Patient-Centered Care: A Comparison

While often used interchangeably, there is a subtle but important distinction between person-centered care and patient-centered care.


Feature	Person-Centered Care	Patient-Centered Care
Focus	Holistic; considers the entire life context of the individual, including social, emotional, and environmental factors.	Clinical; concentrates on the patient's specific health concerns during a clinical interaction.
Scope	Broader; addresses both immediate and long-term well-being and life goals.	Narrower; focuses on the immediate health issue within the healthcare setting.
Inclusivity	More inclusive; involves the person, their family, and their support network in the planning and decision-making process.	Typically involves the patient and the healthcare provider.
Goal	Empowers the individual to take charge of their health and overall quality of life.	Aligns medical treatment with the patient's needs and preferences to improve clinical outcomes.
Example	Adapting a resident's routine in a nursing facility to match their lifelong habits.	Allowing a hospital patient to choose their visiting hours after a procedure.

The Real-World Impact of Implementing PCC

The implementation of person-centered care has far-reaching positive impacts for individuals, care providers, and the healthcare system as a whole. For individuals, it can lead to improved recovery times, better emotional health, and increased satisfaction with their care. Empowered individuals are also more likely to adhere to their treatment plans and make healthier lifestyle choices.

Care providers benefit from higher morale and greater job satisfaction as they build more meaningful and trusting relationships with those they serve. For the healthcare system, PCC can lead to more efficient resource allocation and, in the long run, may even reduce expenses by preventing crises and minimizing the need for emergency services. This systemic shift towards a more humane and collaborative model has been shown to produce more favorable health outcomes and overall well-being.

Challenges and Strategies for Adoption

Adopting person-centered care is not without its challenges. Implementing a culture change that moves away from traditional, task-oriented care models can be difficult. Barriers can include inadequate staffing, financial constraints, and ingrained systemic issues. Additionally, providers may need new training to develop the communication and relationship-building skills necessary for effective collaboration. Individuals with low health literacy or cognitive impairments also require careful consideration to ensure they are properly supported in the decision-making process.

Strategies to overcome these hurdles involve system-wide culture change, clear policy support, and robust training for healthcare professionals. One-page profiles, which outline a person's unique qualities, values, and support needs, can be a simple but effective tool for sharing information across a care team. Active communication and using a 'needs-led' rather than 'service-led' approach are crucial for success. For further reading on strategies, resources like the Better Care Playbook offer valuable insights on advancing PCC in routine care.

The Evolution of Healthcare: Why PCC Matters Now

The shift toward person-centered care represents an evolution in healthcare thinking, moving beyond just treating illness to nurturing overall well-being. It recognizes that health is deeply intertwined with an individual's personal life, social context, and emotional state. As healthcare systems grapple with chronic conditions, an aging population, and the need for more efficient and compassionate care, PCC provides a powerful framework for addressing these challenges. By putting the person at the heart of the process, PCC creates a more respectful, collaborative, and ultimately more effective healthcare experience for everyone involved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Standard medical care often follows a disease-focused approach, where the provider directs the treatment plan based primarily on the diagnosis. Person-centered care, by contrast, is a holistic, collaborative approach where the individual's values, preferences, and goals guide the treatment plan alongside the medical information.

The core values include respect and dignity for the individual, promoting autonomy and independence, fostering choice and shared decision-making, and prioritizing the person's happiness and overall quality of life. It emphasizes building a trusting relationship between the individual and their care team.

Yes. While it requires different communication techniques, PCC can be applied to individuals with cognitive impairments. It involves observing their behavior, understanding their history, and working with family or advocates to ensure their preferences are respected. It adapts to meet the individual's unique needs and communication style.

The family often plays a crucial role. Person-centered care includes involving family and significant others in the decision-making process, especially for those unable to speak for themselves. Providers take the needs and input of caregivers into account as part of the holistic care plan.

Benefits include increased patient satisfaction, improved health outcomes, better adherence to treatment, and enhanced staff morale. For the organization, it can lead to more efficient resource use and potentially reduced costs in the long term.

No. While it is central to the philosophy of long-term care, person-centered care is a universal approach that can be applied in any healthcare setting, from hospitals and clinics to mental health services and community-based programs. It is relevant for people of all ages and health conditions.

An individual can advocate by clearly communicating their preferences and goals to their care providers, asking questions to ensure they understand their options, and building a strong, collaborative relationship with their care team. It starts with actively participating in the conversation about their care.