Patient-centred care across diverse populations

At a glance

• Patient-centred care means care that responds to the person's values, needs and preferences, with the patient as a partner. In Australia it is set out in the Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights and the NSQHS Partnering with Consumers Standard.
• The core skills are the same for every group: ask, don't assume; use a professional interpreter; check understanding with teach-back; share decisions; involve the people the patient wants involved.
• Groups differ in the barriers they face. Know the specific ones: racism and distance for First Nations patients, confidentiality for adolescents, language for migrants, communication and diagnostic overshadowing for people with disability, cost for people on low incomes.