RESEARCH COMMUNICATION. Using humor as a tool, researchers hope to find new ways to make knowledge for the development of healthcare easier to act on. Six playful illustrations depicting beliefs about person-centered care have been paired with relevant research to encourage conversation and reflection.
– Person-centered care means that the patient decides everything about their care themselves.
– Not everyone wants person-centered care.
– We already work in a person-centered way.
– We don’t have the time or the resources to work in a person-centered way.
– We aren’t allowed to say ‘patient’ anymore.
– Person-centered care doesn’t work for us (in our operations).
Person-centered healthcare is based on the abilities, needs, and conditions of the unique individual. To promote more person-centered health and social care, the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-centred Care (GPCC) and the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR) Close Care program have developed educational material that inspires dialogue.
Common beliefs about person-centered care are illustrated in a humorous manner. The beliefs in the material are rooted in the research project “Myths and conceptions about person-centred care”. Each belief is also linked to research on person-centeredness, and to statements that encourage people to challenge these beliefs.
“Art and humor can reflect complex concepts in just a few seconds,” says Pamela Lindgren, who provided the illustrations. “They can evoke emotions, pave the way for new ideas, and encourage thought and reflection. It has therefore been particularly fun to visualize beliefs about what person-centered care is by using cartoon-like illustrations.”
Person-centered ways of working make things better
Person-centered ways of working make things better for both patients and employees. In order to move toward more close care and person-centered care, we need to practice acting from the patient’s perspective. The material is designed for anyone who works in or manages operations in which they meet patients and their families. The support should facilitate dialogue in groups, and can also be used as a tool for self-reflection.
“At GPCC, we have been researching person-centered care for more than ten years now,” says researcher Sylvia Määttä. “During this time, we have constantly encountered myths and beliefs about person-centered care. We wanted to highlight these in a light-hearted way, and to compare them with existing knowledge.”
“This is a form of support for everyone who wants to work in a more person-centered way, and to become even more proactive in the transition to close care,” adds SALAR’s Madeleine Beermann. “It’s a gentle nudge to help us look at person-centeredness in new ways, and to act on the basis of the resident’s focus.”
BY: JEANETTE TENGGREN DURKAN
Website from which the dialogue material can be downloaded (in Swedish): Support for dialogue on person-centered care.
The dialogue material has been produced by:
- Ida Björkman, researcher, GPCC
- Sylvia Määttä, researcher, GPCC
- Pamela Lindgren, illustrator and member of GPCC’s Council for Patients and Relatives
- Madeleine Beermann, Administrator (Close Care), SALAR
- Selma Wolofsky, Communications Officer, SALAR
- Jeanette Tenggren Durkan, Communications Officer, GPCC
