Abstract

The increasingly ubiquitous notion of ‘patient centredness’
often causes confusion; indeed instruction received
on this subject often left trainees with only the vaguest
notion of how it could be put into practice, sometimes
leading to bizarre interpretations of this idea. For
example, one colleague described how he, in an attempt
at ‘real’ patient centredness, had attempted a whole
surgery without saying anything at all for as long as
possible, presumably just nodding and gesticulating to
compensate. Although we readily agree that non-verbal
expression accounts for a considerable content of communication, this is perhaps taking things just too far.
Patient centredness remains a central plank of clinical
learning, teaching and assessment and nowadays is also central of policy development in the health service. But what do we mean by patient centredness? Is it really important? How important is it compared to other aspects of the consultation? Does it make a difference?