Person-Centred Practice supports a partnership between patient and provider or provider teams, grounded in trust and respect of each other’s expertise. Care is delivered in the context of what matters most to the patient and their family, so that patients can develop a personal understanding of their health issues, build motivation to actively engage in their care, and make decisions that will suit them best.
Evidence shows that person-centred practice can reduce patient no show rates and save providers time by avoiding circular or unproductive conversations and unnecessary assessments or education.
HealthChange® Methodology is a licensed program that AHS has adopted to help healthcare providers and teams embed person-centred practices and behaviour change techniques into the work they do every day.
It offers a way of working and communicating with patients and families that can be built in to any provider’s practice and enables a consistency of approach across care teams. This can help patients understand what to expect from care appointments and what their role is when they meet with their provider and team. As one AHS Patient Advisor stated, if providers used HealthChange® Methodology “I’d feel more informed, involved and heard.”
Healthcare teams across Alberta have been using HealthChange® Methodology to guide process improvement work, adapt clinical documentation and develop effective patient education resources.
Email phc@ahs.ca
