Personal approach to healthcare can improve efficiency
Wednesday 2nd November 2011
A person-centred approach to healthcare can bring benefits in the form of greater efficiency and more satisfied patients, according to a study carried out by the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
The study revealed that if there is an "active partnership" between patients and staff to draw up a healthcare plan based on the individual's condition and limitations, hospital stays can be reduced by up to a third.
Sahlgrenska Academy's Centre for Person-Centred Care conducted a unique comparative study with 123 patients with degenerative heart conditions who were treated according to this principle, aiming to evaluate the efficiency improvements it can bring and whether re-admission rates can be reduced.
The results of the study, published in the European Heart Journal, revealed that although shorter hospital stays could be achieved through this approach, there was no improvement in quality of life or re-admission rates for the patient.
Daily functional capacity was, however, significantly improved, and the researchers hope to see a move towards more evidence-based care and doctor-patient collaboration on treatment.
"Our study shows that person-centred care leads to effective and high-quality health care," said Ingrid Ekman, director of the Centre for Person-Centred Care.
"However, only 60 percent of the patients in our study actually did receive consistent person-centred care during their entire stay."
"It shows the difficulty of rearranging the healthcare culture since it is based on a person with an illness and not on the person's illness alone," she went on to say.
"The biggest challenge will be to break the traditional and rigid structure of healthcare."
Last month, a study at the Sahlgrenska Academy revealed that the obesity hormone adiponectin is linked to osteoporosis and an increased risk of fractures in the elderly.
A study of 11,000 men in Sweden, Hong Kong and the US found that people with increased levels of the hormone also have more fragile skeletons.
Written by James Puckle
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