The role of culture in people's preferences for patient-centred care

Patient-centred care has become the preferred model of healthcare delivery in many countries, as part of the move to a biopsychosocial approach.  However, while patient-centred care refers to considering the patient's needs, wants and preferences in their healthcare, in practice it has become focused on health care providers establishing a collaborative relationship, sharing power and patients participating in decision-making. However, there has been limited research examining how a person's cultural background influences their preferences regarding the delivery of their healthcare.

Patient-centred care needs to account for cultural differences in people's preferences and how this may be shaped by the differences in the way healthcare is delivered in different countries.  This becomes more important as global mobility means health provider-patient interactions are increasingly intercultural and many healthcare providers receive their training in a country other than their own.  Moreover, an understanding of cultural differences in patient preferences is important for informing the education of health providers.

During the second Lunchtime Talk Series powered by PechaKucha which was held on 15 June 2021, Professor Elizabeth Jones from the Department of Psychology, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine & Health Sciences discussed the findings from a 5-country study of people's preferences for patient-centred care and consider the implications for practice and education.