Patient Centred Care: Current Situation and Development

Dear Colleagues,

The patient-centred care paradigm has emerged as a cornerstone in delivering high-quality, holistic healthcare services in contemporary healthcare systems. This approach emphasises understanding patients' unique needs, preferences, and values and actively involving them in decision-making related to their health. As healthcare landscapes evolve, exploring the current state and future development of patient-centred care is crucial for optimising healthcare outcomes and enhancing patient experiences.

This Special Issue aims to comprehensively examine the current situation and the evolution of patient-centred care across diverse healthcare settings. By delving into various aspects of patient-centred care delivery, we seek to shed light on emerging trends, challenges and innovative strategies shaping the landscape of modern healthcare. We invite contributions that address a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to:

• Patient Engagement and Shared Decision Making: Exploring models and approaches to enhance patient involvement in healthcare decision-making processes.
• Health Equity and Access to Patient-centred Care: Analysing disparities in access to patient-centred care and strategies to promote health equity for underserved populations.
• Cultural Competence and Diversity in Patient Care: Investigating the impact of cultural, social and demographic factors on patient experiences and healthcare outcomes.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Team-Based Care: Exploring collaborative models of care delivery that prioritise interdisciplinary teamwork and communication to meet patient needs effectively.
• Policy Implications and Regulatory Frameworks: This section examines policy initiatives and regulatory frameworks that aim to promote patient-centred care at the local, national and international levels.
• Patient-centred care in Special Populations: Investigating approaches to address the unique needs and preferences of vulnerable populations, such as older people, children, individuals with disabilities and those with chronic illnesses.

We invite researchers, clinicians, educators, policymakers and other healthcare professionals to contribute original research articles, systematic reviews, case studies and perspectives that advance our understanding of patient-centred care. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review, and accepted manuscripts will be featured in this Special Issue, providing valuable insights and actionable recommendations for improving patient-centred care delivery practices.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and engaging in fruitful discussions on the current state and future directions of patient-centred care.

Dr. Pablo Martínez-Angulo
Dr. Luís Ángel Pérula-De-Torres
Dr. Pedro E. Ventura-Puertos
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Healthcare is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• patient-centred care
• health service
• nursing
• primary care
• community care