Factors Impeding Patient-Centred Care: A Perspective of Health Care Professionals of Islamabad

Abstract

This research aims to study how Health Care Professionals perceive Patient-Centered Care and to explore the challenges that prevent them from delivering high-quality care to the patients. Through a qualitative exploratory approach, the qualitative data collection tools will be utilized for data collection from the participants of the PAF Hospital Unit 2/ E-9 and Medicsi Hospital F-7. Semistructured and In-depth interviews were conducted from a total sample size of 15 respondents that encompass the 3-tier of health care providers; 3 respondents from the leadership, 5 doctors, 3 Medical graduates and 4 nurses. The respondents gave their perspective of the challenges and problems they face if they adopt a patient-centred approach. Prior enlisting the difficulties, all the respondents gave an account of their own perception of PCC— factors and characteristics they think must be an integral part of the approach. The respondents explained the general health care issues in Pakistan and narrowed it down to be more specific and talked about the problems they face in their hospital. The major challenges included patient load and doctor’s burnout, the cost of treatment and lack of education and resources for such services and that is what a hindrance becomes for them. The doctors gave their input on the social element of it as well —saying that patient centeredness is an equal responsibility of the patient as much as it is for the doctor. The patient him or herself should also take part in the prognosis, give his input and be open to communication and not leave everything on the doctor completely. It is a two-way process and the best results can be achieved if both work as a team. The comparative analysis of the developed world with a third world country like Pakistan gave us an insight into what we lack and where we go wrong. Lastly, they talk about the social dilemma of how the health industry has been commercialized and its effects on the care received by the patients