The patient’s account is the starting point. Resident Physician Elin Hultgren has seen the advantages of a person-centred approach in daily care.
“This is an image kept alive by TV series such as ER and Grey’s Anatomy, but it’s not accurate. In reality, most of the patients are elderly, fragile people, individuals with long-term and lasting symptoms. It’s here that the majority of healthcare resources are spent, and it’s in these very groups that our experiments have shown the best results.” Patient empowerment – a trend growing from the grass roots The person-centred care in Gothenburg is a part of an international wave where the patients are demanding participation and partnership. One current example is the website patientslikeme.com, which was established by the brother of a young man with ALS who wanted to start a dialogue with other patients. The response was overwhelming. Today, the site has more than one million reports on patients’ conditions and researchers pay a lot to gain access to their data. Another example is the international movement ‘No decision about me, without me.’ This demands that the patient be an active participant in
decisions on different forms of treatment. “We are on the way to changing how we interact with patients in healthcare. But it will take time. There is a strong culture in healthcare and this is nothing you change overnight,” says Inger Ekman. A good arena for clinical healthcare research With an ageing population, finding new ways towards better health and shorter care times is a matter of global importance. GPCC is coordinating an EU project that is about preparing a road map for the healthcare of the future. When the Swedish government conducted a strategic survey in healthcare research, the University of Gothenburg – led by Sahlgrenska Academy – was deemed to have the greatest potential to develop the field. “These are complex issues that concern various subjects such as economics, pedagogy, philosophy and ethics. The University of Gothenburg is skilled at clinical research, has good relationships with healthcare and, with its breadth, is well-equipped for the challenge,” says Inger Ekman.
Inger Ekman PhD at Umeå University in 1999. Professor of Nursing at University of Gothenburg in 2007. Selection of appointments and awards: former Head of the Department of Health Sciences and Health and Vice-Dean of Sahlgrenska Academy, since 2010 Director of the University of Gothenburg Centre for Person-centred Care (GPCC). GPCC conducts interdisciplinary research in person-centring in healthcare. More than 100 researchers and 30 doctoral students are affiliated with the centre, which is financed by the government and University of Gothenburg.
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