[Patient-centered care in Danish hospitals will heighten the quality]

Patient-centered care is a multidimensional quality goal, which aims at establishing a partnership between doctors and patients and to ensure that clinical practices are based on the individual patient's needs and preferences. In this article the concept of patient-centered care and how to apply this in a hospital setting is sought clarified. The principles of patient-centered care and the organizational preconditions needed for the implementation of this are described based on the literature, followed by a discussion of the status and challenges in Danish health care. We conclude that a stronger focus on patient-centered care is needed.