Abstract

Background: Patient-centred care (PCC) has been proposed as an appropriate approach for addressing current shifts in healthcare needs. Although the importance of PCC is generally recognised, PCC is poorly understood by patients in the hospital settings.

Objectives: To identify patients’ experiences of PCC in hospital settings.

Methodological design: This systematic review followed the Joanna Briggs Institute’s (JBI) guidance for systematic reviews of qualitative evidence and the PRISMA checklist for reporting systematic reviews. The search strategy included peer-reviewed qualitative studies published after 2010 in English or Finnish. The databases searched were SCOPUS, MEDLINE, CINAHL and Medic. Unpublished studies and grey literature were searched in MedNar. Ten qualitative studies were included, and their quality was assessed by two independent reviewers using JBI quality assessment criteria. The data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Setting and participants: Studies were included if they had explored adult patient experiences of PCC in hospital settings.

Results: A thematic analysis produced 14 subthemes which were grouped into five analytical themes: the presence of the professional, patient involvement in care, receiving information, the patient–professional relationship and being seen as a person.

Conclusions and implications: This review suggests that the implementation and provision of PCC in hospitals is incomplete and patients’ involvement in their own care should be in the focus of PCC. The majority of patients experienced receiving PCC, but others did not. The need for improvement of patient involvement was strongly emphasised. Patients highlighted the importance of professionals being present and spending time with patients. Patients felt well-informed about their care but expressed the need for better communication. Meaningful patient–professional relationships were brokered by professionals demonstrating genuine care and respecting the patient as an individual. To improve the implementation of PCC, patient experiences should be considered in the development of relevant hospital care strategies. In addition, more training in PCC and patient–professional communication should be provided to health care professionals.