The Economist (Intelligence Unit) – Creating Healthy Partnerships (2019)

THE ROLE OF PATIENT VALUE AND PATIENT-CENTRED

CARE IN HEALTH SYSTEMS

None in our scorecard do so, with most doing far worse. Every country, however, has at least one area
of low alignment. High alignment is the least common result across the scorecard, with about only a
quarter of indicators reaching that level. In short, the clearest lesson from the scorecard is that patient-
centred care is a long way off.

The countries that seem to do relatively well should not be complacent. The UK has the most “high”
alignments in the scorecard. However, a recent review by National Voices, a British coalition of patient
groups, which looked at various national NHS and social care patient surveys, is less encouraging. It did
find indications of movement toward patient-centred care, such as involvement in decision-making by
those with cancer, but in mainstream care progress had been slight at best. The study concluded that
in the UK person-centred care remains “an ambition, but not yet a priority ”.^20

Table 2: Scorecard by alignment to patient-centred care

Key: Alignment of health systems with the principles of patient-centred care

High

Moderate

Low

Domain Indicator Brazil China France Germany Italy Japan Spain UK US

Strategy Strategic plan and

patients’ bill of rights

High Moderate High High Moderate Moderate Moderate High Moderate

National quality

standards for monitoring

the implementation of

patient-centred care

Low Low Moderate Low Low Low Moderate High Moderate

Value-based payment

systems as provider

incentives for

implementation of

patient-centred care

Moderate Moderate High Moderate High Moderate High High Moderate

Provision Education and support

for healthcare staff

Moderate Moderate High Moderate Moderate Low High High Moderate

Continuity of care Low Low Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate High Moderate

Patient access to

healthcare

Moderate Low High High Moderate Moderate Moderate High Moderate

Delivery Personalised care

according to patients’

values and preferences

Low Low Moderate Low Low Low Low Low Moderate

Patient involvement in

shared decision-making

Low Low High High Low Low Moderate High High

Patients Use of patient-reported

outcome measures

(PROMs)

Low Low Low Low Low Low Low Moderate Low

Patient advocacy groups Moderate Low High Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate High High

Patient empowerment Moderate Low Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate High High

Source: Adoption of patient-centred care: findings and methodology (available at: patientcentredcare.eiu.com)

20. National Voices, Person-centred care in
    2017: Evidence from service users, 2017.