ABSTRACT
PATIENT-ORIENTED VERSUS DISEASE-OR TASK-ORIENTED ENCOUNTERS In a ‘patient-oriented’ encounter, the healthcare professional creates opportunities for the patient to express his views, concerns, beliefs and priorities regarding his care, and to participate as fully as he wishes to in the decision-making process. To put it another way, a patient-oriented encounter is about realising that the patient is at the centre of care, and as healthcare professionals our task is to work effectively in partnership with the person, and at times, his family members and carers.
