The path to patient centred care in NZ’s health system

The path to patient centred care in New Zealand’s health system

The Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS) has produced the first of a series of short papers arguing for patient centred care to be clearly driving changes in the health system.

“Providing the best possible care for patients is what motivates senior doctors and dentists, along with other health professionals,” says Angela Belich, Deputy Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

“Increasingly they’re trying to do this in an environment of financial constraints, ongoing workforce shortages and with a focus on targets and measurement. We’re seeing the results of this with high levels of presenteeism and fatigue among the senior medical workforce, and with patients struggling to access the surgery and other public health care they need.”

The paper ‘Patient Centred Care: Improving quality and safety’ was written by ASMS Policy and Research Director Lyndon Keene and can be viewed online at http://www.asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/Patient-centred-care-improving-quality-and-safety-issue-1_165837.4-2.pdf.

It is the first in a series which will concentrate on the sharp end of health care – examining the policies and conditions that support high quality interaction between patients and clinicians. There is now a wealth of evidence showing high quality patient-doctor interaction not only results in better care overall, but also helps to reduce health care costs by improving safety and decreasing the use of diagnostic testing, prescriptions, hospitalisations and referrals.

This first paper outlines the generally-accepted meaning of patient centred care.

“District health board managers and policy-makers are often focused on structural changes and budgets and targets, and we hope these papers will mark out a pathway to help them improve the things necessary for a truly patient centred health system,” says Angela Belich.

“That means a focus on quality, clinician-led engagement, timely and equitable access to care, continuity of care, a supported and well-resourced workforce, and so on.”

ENDS

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