An exploration of person-centred concepts in human services: A thematic analysis of the literature

Rebecca A. Waters and Angus Buchanan

Health Policy, 2017, vol. 121, issue 10, 1031-1039

Abstract: Being ‘person-centred’ in the delivery of health and human services has become synonymous with quality care, and it is a core feature of policy reform in Australia and other Western countries. This research aimed to identify the uses, definitions and characteristics of the term ‘person-centred’ in the ageing, mental health and disability literature. A thematic analysis identified seven common core themes of person-centredness: honouring the person, being in relationship, facilitating participation and engagement, social inclusion/citizenship, experiencing compassionate love, being strengths/capacity focussed, and organisational characteristics. These suggest a set of higher-order experiences for people that are translated differently in different human services. There is no common definition of what it means to be person-centred, despite being a core feature of contemporary health and human service policy, and this suggests that its inclusion facilitates further misunderstanding and misinterpretation. A common understanding and policy conceptualisation of person-centredness is likely to support quality outcomes in service delivery especially where organisations work across human service groups. Further research into the application and service expressions of being ‘person-centred’ in context is necessary.

Keywords: Person-centred; Disability; Mental health; Ageing; Recovery; Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:hepoli:v:121:y:2017:i:10:p:1031-1039

DOI: 10.1016/j.healthpol.2017.09.003

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