ABSTRACT
The concept of patient-centred care denotes a situation whereby patients are central and should always be treated with respect and dignity. Regardless of their decisions and preferences, clinical decision-making and goal-setting should always take into consideration the patient’s preferences and values, and clinical decision-making and goal-setting should always be patient-centred. Essentially, in patient-centred care, the patient plays an active role in the decision-making process about all aspects of their treatment. Patients are provided with the opportunity to ask their healthcare practitioners questions about their conditions, prognosis and treatment options, and they are given all of the information they require to make an informed decision regarding their care. In this method of providing medical care, decisions regarding the patient’s care plan are made in conjunction with the patient, the patient’s family and the patient’s caregivers. Patient-centred care is so successful because it treats each patient as an individual who deserves to be treated with respect and dignity and also gives patients the opportunity to make decisions about their healthcare based on their own values, beliefs and preferences. This is at the core of what makes patient-centred care so powerful. In this chapter, the focus is to discuss how various digital healthcare stakeholders can make sure the technology utilised in responding to patient concerns and conditions is patient-centred. In sum, this is the key to the people side of digital health.
