Instruments for measuring patients views of patient-centered care

January 01, 0001

Instruments for measuring patients views of patient-centered care

Patient centered care is a core value of family medicine. These Canadian researchers performed a systematic review examine instruments and other tools for assessing patients’ perceptions of patient-centered care in family medicine. They used MEDLINE, Embase, and Cochrane databases with additional searching by hand and with expert suggestions. Inclusion criteria involved self-administered instruments that measured patient perceptions of patient-centered care, reporting validation and having relevance to the ambulatory family medicine setting.

The researchers found: "Of the 3,045 articles identified, 90 were examined in detail, and 26, covering 13 instruments, met our inclusion criteria. Two instruments (5 articles) were dedicated to patient-centered care: the Patient Perception of Patient-Centeredness and the Consultation Care Measure, and 11 instruments (21 articles) included relevant subscales or items."

The researchers concluded: "The 2 instruments dedicated to patient-centered care address key dimensions but are visit-based, limiting their applicability for the study of care processes over time, such as chronic illness management. Relevant items from the 11 other instruments provide partial coverage of the concept, but these instruments were not designed to provide a specific assessment of patient-centered care."

This systematic review identifies tools that can be used to identify patients views of patient centered care, which can be of use in practices implementing such practice changes.

For the full abstract, click here.

Annals of Family Medicine 9(2):155-164, March/April 2011
© 2011 Annals of Family Medicine, Inc.
Measuring Patients' Perceptions of Patient-Centered Care: A Systematic Review of Tools for Family Medicine. Catherine Hudon, Martin Fortin, Jeannie L. Haggerty, Mireille Lambert, and Marie-Eve Poitras. Correspondence to Catherine Hudon: [email protected]

Category: HSR. Health Services Research. Keywords: patient centered care, patient perceptions, instruments, subscales, ambulatory family medicine, systematic review with meta-analysis, journal watch.
Synopsis edited by Dr Paul Schaefer, Toledo, Ohio. Posted on Global Family Doctor 1 April 2011

Pearls are an independent product of the Cochrane primary care group and are meant for educational use and not to guide clinical care.