What is Patient-Centred Care?
In healthcare systems, patient engagement and care satisfaction have been identified as areas needing improvement. Person-Centred Care aims to recognize patients as unique individuals with their own will and emotions, emphasizing their individual responsibilities and capabilities. When understanding each patient as an individual, healthcare professionals can tailor actions according to their needs and preferences.
Getting to how patients perceive their condition and treatment in the context of their lives is crucial in formulating effective health plans. By adopting these principles, healthcare systems have the potential to enhance patient engagement, care satisfaction, and overall health outcomes.
Discover how Software as a Medical Device (SaMD) empowers personalized and Patient-Centred Care, leveraging innovative technologies to deliver tailored solutions, improve patient outcomes, and enhance the patient experience.
Key elements of a Patent-Centred Care:
- Dignity, respect, and compassion in treatment
- Effective communication and coordination of care between appointments and various services
- Tailoring care to individual needs and goals
- Empowering patients to understand and learn about their health
- Assisting patients in finding ways to improve their well-being, self-care, and independence
- Active involvement of patients in healthcare decisions throughout the process
Understanding patients
Healthcare professionals traditionally focus on the biological and physiological aspects of patients, providing valuable medical perspectives. However, to establish stronger health processes, it is essential for them to recognize patients as unique individuals with their own will and emotions, emphasizing individual responsibilities and capabilities within the relationship.
Certain practices are conducive to a more positive patient experience:
- Respect for patients’ values, preferences and expressed needs
- Coordination and integration of care
- Information and education
- Physical comfort
- Emotional support and alleviation of fear and anxiety
- Involvement of family and friends Continuity and transition
- Access to care
Effective communication plays a key role in this process, as actively listening to patients’ needs and concerns fosters a sense of acknowledgement and respect. Patient-centred care entails healthcare professionals explaining treatment options clearly and honouring patients’ decisions, without any form of discrimination based on their background, beliefs, or preferences.
Inclusive decision-making is vital for patients to feel empowered in their treatment journey. This involves understanding the information shared by healthcare professionals. By actively involving patients in the decision-making process, they can better comprehend the implications of their treatment choices. Patient-Centred Care recognizes the significance of patients being fully informed about their healthcare options, fostering trust and cooperation between patients and healthcare providers. When patients feel included and well-informed, they are more likely to actively engage in their own care, leading to better health outcomes and an improved patient-professional relationship.
How can Software as a Medical Device enhance Patient-Centred Care?
SaMD, or Software as a Medical Device, were introduced to revolutionize healthcare by harnessing algorithms to generate valuable insights from patient data. Examples of its applications include smartphone software for viewing MRI images, aiding in diagnostic purposes, and computer-aided detection software designed to detect breast cancer through image post-processing.
The adoption of SaMD tools has significant benefits across the healthcare landscape. By automating certain aspects of care, they save precious time for healthcare professionals, enabling faster discovery, management, and treatment of medical issues. Additionally, SaMD’s ability to collect and analyse vast amounts of data quickly allows for valuable user feedback through its availability on various devices.
SaMD’s benefits for patient assessment
From the patient’s perspective, the technology brings empowerment and improved self-monitoring capabilities. By identifying triggers and providing real-time recommendations, it helps patients manage their conditions more effectively. For that reason, SaMD fosters better adherence to treatment plans, leading to enhanced clinical outcomes. One of the most remarkable advantages of SaMD is its potential to deliver personalized treatment plans, especially for patients with complex diseases, utilizing smart algorithms, it can detect anomalies that might otherwise go unnoticed, thereby increasing survival rates among these patients.
SaMD’s integration with connected care systems further promotes patient engagement and ownership of treatment decisions, as individuals can monitor their health in real-time and seek prompt medical assistance if needed.
Eclevar supports SaMD developers for more Patient-Centred Care services
SaMD represents a powerful tool that not only streamlines healthcare processes but also empowers patients to take charge of their well-being while enhancing the overall quality of medical care and outcomes.
Eclevar is in the business of making healthcare services more comfortable, comprehensive for patients. For that reason, we help developers of new technologies to navigate the approval system for commercialization. Contact us to learn more about our work and how we can enhance Patient-Centred Care together.