Voice of the Patient and Patient-Centered Health Care
The modern definition of “patient centered health care” was stated in the National Library of Medicine’s MED-LINE subject heading (MeSH), introduced in 1995, which reads, “Design of patient care wherein institutional resources and personnel are organized around patients rather than around specialized departments.”
Following this design criterion, patients’ safety and well-being are the priority for all the agents involved in this industry: caregivers, pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, health insurers, and government agencies. And, being the center of our health systems, listening and engaging patients becomes the cornerstone of any quality improvement initiative. That’s why the so called “Voice of the Patient” is getting an increasing attention by all the stakeholders involved.
