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Patient-Centered Medical Care

Church Health

A relatively new concept in medicine is called “patient-centered care.”

If you’re like me, you might have thought, shouldn’t it have always been patient-centered? But at least now we are trying to get it right.

There are a handful of principles that make care patient centered. It starts with listening, informing and involving patients in their own care. It means ensuring that patients’ needs and values guide all clinical decisions.

Hopefully, the days are gone when “the doctor knows best.” It’s your life, and you and your family get to make all the important decisions. The doctor is there to help guide you – not just in a technical way, but also in facing anxiety, fear, and uncertainty.

Patient-centered care means making access easier, involving friends and family in decision making, and not just writing prescriptions for pills.

Ask your doctor if their practice is a certified patient-centered medical home or in the process of becoming one. It is a good thing that makes sure physicians are committed to always having your best interest at heart.

This is Dr. Scott Morris for Church Health.