[Person-centered wound care : Legitimation and theoretical concept]

International associations advocate the care model of person-centered care (PCC) that focuses on people with chronic illnesses rather than on disease patterns.

To present the concept and its legitimacy concerning the care of people with chronic wounds.

A narrative review, identification and analysis of review articles as well as conceptual foundations, practical examples and discussion of implementation.

The PCC is based on the health needs, expectations, values and commitments of persons and not on diseases, symptoms and clinical data. Key components include providing the affected individuals with the support and education needed to make decisions and participate in their own care. Evaluations of PCC implementation primarily measure components, such as communication or shared decision making and use patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) and patient-reported experience measures (PREM). The largest barriers to implementing the concept are a healthcare system focused on acute care, a lack of patient involvement in decision making, inadequate communication skills and disease-oriented attitudes. A successful implementation requires cultural, structural and organizational measures.

Implementing PCC into the clinical practice requires commitment and perseverance. Organizations must be willing to engage in this approach. The German-Austrian-Swiss Wound Healing Organization (WundD.A.CH) has identified the promotion of its implementation as a key priority.