A new approach in patient care has emerged called person-centered medicine, which emphasizes the importance of learning all aspects of a patient’s context and enabling them to make informed decisions about their health. This approach also includes developing opportunities to empower patients and their support systems to help attain optimal health outcomes. It is a comprehensive health care paradigm that departs from a biomedical focus to encompass physical, social and emotional well-being, while honoring people’s individual strengths, preferences, needs, values and beliefs. This model is being adopted in medical and dental practice, as well as other health care fields, including gerontology and long-term care.

At its core, patient-centered healthcare is designed around the principle that the person-provider team is the most important factor in achieving health and wellness. The team includes the patient, their family and friends and community resources (e.g., faith groups). This team works together to address a patient’s medical and dental health concerns in ways that are most effective and appropriate to achieve positive outcomes for the individual.

The goal of person-centered care is to facilitate better health outcomes and improve satisfaction with the quality of health care. In addition to improved patient satisfaction, a person-centered approach may lead to higher work satisfaction for practitioners and enhanced health care utilization.

In the field of dentistry, person-centered care focuses on ensuring that patients are provided with an experience that is comfortable and anxiety free. This includes creating trust through thorough exams and clear communication of treatment plans. It includes educating patients on preventive care and the importance of proper oral hygiene and diet, and it involves listening to patients and addressing their concerns with compassion.

A number of studies have shown that a patient-centered approach results in better health outcomes, more positive treatment experiences and higher levels of satisfaction for patients. It also appears to enhance the quality of life for those receiving care and promotes greater interest in maintaining a healthy mouth and overall wellness.

A patient-centered approach is a fundamental part of our philosophy at Madison Park Family Dentistry. We strive to provide a personalized, compassionate and skilled level of care to each and every patient. We are proud to offer a variety of advanced technology and techniques, which are proven to be safe, effective, efficient and cost-effective. We are committed to making our patient-centered care a reality for all of our patients, and we appreciate the trust that you have placed in us to take excellent care of your smile. For more information on how we can put our patient-centered care into action, contact Karen Rosen dentist today. We look forward to seeing you soon.