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Published on: February 16, 2011
Person-centredness: conceptual and historical perspectives.
Alain Leplege1, Fabrice Gzil, Michele Cammelli
1REHSEIS (UMR 7596, CNRS-U Paris7) and Université Paris Diderot--Paris7, Paris, France. alain.leplege@univ-paris-diderot.fr
Disability and Rehabilitation
|October 9, 2007
Summary
Person-centredness in rehabilitation is debated, with multiple meanings and practical difficulties. Focusing on core components, rather than just the rhetoric, may better define rehabilitation goals.
Area of Science:
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Health Sciences
- Philosophy of Medicine
Background:
- The definition and aims of rehabilitation are frequently debated.
- Recent proposals suggest defining rehabilitation using 'person-centredness'.
- However, these attempts face criticisms and difficulties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To reflect on the historical background and conceptual underpinnings of person-centredness.
- To assess the relevance of person-centredness for contemporary rehabilitation.
- To question if person-centredness is a suitable concept for defining rehabilitation.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual and historical analysis of person-centredness in rehabilitation.
- Examining the consistency and definition of person-centredness.
- Investigating the conceptual history and origins of person-centredness.
Main Results:
- Identified four main, often divergent, interpretations of person-centredness in rehabilitation.
- The concept of person-centredness in rehabilitation has multiple, diverse meanings.
- Prior uses of person-centredness in unrelated contexts show no strict relationship to its use in rehabilitation.
Conclusions:
- Person-centredness, despite its history, presents practical and theoretical challenges in rehabilitation.
- Rehabilitation may benefit from focusing on operationalizing key components over the rhetoric of person-centredness.
- Further investigation into core conceptual elements is recommended for a clearer understanding of rehabilitation's purpose.
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