Client-centred care: making the ideal real

Providing quality care in a timely manner is a key goal of the healthcare system. Who defines quality care is a pivotal question to be answered in an era of well-informed clients. The Registered Nurses Association of Ontario's (RNAO) Client-Centred Care Best Practice Guideline puts patients where they belong--at the centre of care. This guideline recommends that nurses embrace as foundational to their practice a set of values and beliefs. These include: respect, human dignity and the belief that clients are the experts regarding their own lives. Clients must be provided the opportunity to lead their care as much as they choose. Moreover, the guideline recommends that nurses advocate for their clients' goals within the entire healthcare team. Recommendations regarding the organization of nursing care emphasize continuity and consistency of care and caregiver as paramount to providing timely and responsive client-centred-care. This article presents the rationale for the development of a CCC-BPG and highlights its key recommendations. It also discusses the responsibilities of healthcare practitioners and administrators in working together to ensure that these recommendations are incorporated into every aspect of client care and services.