Examining the relationship between patient-centred care and outcomes on a neuroscience unit: a pilot project

Patient-centred care (PCC) has been adopted as the approach to care in various health care institutions. The extent to which PCC is actually implemented by nurses and the extent to which PCC is associated with positive patient outcomes are not clear. The purpose of this pilot study is twofold: to examine the extent to which staff nurses provided PCC to patients admitted to a neuroscience unit, as perceived by the nurses and patients assigned to their care, and to examine the relationships between implementation of PCC and patient outcomes. A descriptive correlational design with repeated measures was used. Data were collected from 21 nurses and 14 patients from a neuroscience unit where PCC staff development initiatives had been implemented. PCC is operationalized as provision of individualized care, patient participation in care, patient education and counselling, and coordination of care. Patient outcome data related to symptom experience, functional status, self-care, and sense of personal control were gathered upon admission and one week after discharge. Results indicated that nurses reported the implementation of PCC to a slightly higher extent than did patients. Significant relationships were found between aspects of PCC and patient outcomes in terms of sense of personal control and satisfaction with care. Findings from this pilot study will guide further improvement in the implementation of PCC to continuously enhance quality of nursing care, the neuroscience patient's hospital experience and readiness for discharge.