Demonstrating Patient-Centered Care - Essay Example

"Demonstrating Patient-Centered Care is a wonderful example of a paper on the health system.
Understanding Patient-Centered Care

In my view, patient-centered care is a holistic approach to health care providers that involves both the practitioners, patients, and their families. The model seeks to address the whole range of patient needs in a manner that is appropriate by taking into consideration the patient’s wants, needs, and preferences. In particular, patient-centered care focuses on assisting patients to make appropriate decisions after considering their cultural traditions and values, their lifestyles, family, and social circumstances. In addition to assisting patients to make decisions, the model also aims at supporting healthcare professionals to achieve their personal objectives.

Demonstrating Patient-Centered Care

In order to demonstrate patient-centered care, I will need to carry out a range of activities that are in tandem with the objectives of the model. In the first place, I will seek to understand the critical needs of my patients and try to dispel any wrong assumptions they may have regarding health care. I will engage with their family in order to have a clear picture of the patient’s medical condition including their history, family values, and social status. It will be my prerogative to harness the information I receive from the patient and the family to ensure that I make the best possible clinical decision regarding the patient’s condition. In order to arrive at such a decision, I will need to ask and attend to both parties’ concerns in a professional manner that promotes trust and freedom of expression.

Issues Affecting Doctor’s Health and Well Being

Doctors, just like other human beings, face internal and external challenges in their day-to-day duties. The recent death of four interns has exacerbated the debate as to whether the doctors’ health and wellbeing are addressed appropriately. In Monash Health Care, the high levels of dedication, commitment, and sense of responsibility required of doctors often increase the risk of anxiety and depression. Other issues that have a significant effect on the doctors’ health and wellbeing in the Monash setting could be increased clinical workload following insufficient allocation of resources in the health system; the requirement for ongoing medical education and challenges of control over work-life balance. The nature of the doctors’ work also tends to create social and geographical isolation, and this could be detrimental to their health and wellbeing.

Assisting a Colleague in Distress

In the event that I come across a colleague who is under distress, the natural thing to do as an intern would try to understand the course of the distress. After establishing the cause of the stress, I will try my best to provide him or her with psycho-socio support both mentally and emotionally. Depending on the severity of the distress, I may urge him or her to seek medical attention from experienced professionals within the facility or from social support services. On a personal level, I will try and give words of encouragement to my colleague; walk him around to ease the pressure that he may be undergoing, and encourage him to have confidants to whom he can talk freely in case the condition reoccurs in future.