Patient-Centered Healthare as Part of Medical Corporate Culture

Abstract

Patient-centered medicine is a relatively new model for planning, implementing, and evaluating healthcare services. It is based on mutually beneficial partnerships between healthcare providers, patients, and their families. However, the existing models of patient-centered healthcare have a number of disadvantages. The article introduces patient-centered healthcare as part of corporate culture adopted by various medical organizations. The authors developed a component model for the empirical study of patient-centered healthcare in terms of corporate culture. It involved five components, i.e., corporate culture, attitude to patient, attitude to work / professional image, adherence to ethical principles, and motivation. The model was tested using assessment methods developed by the authors, as well as using the Questionnaire of Professional Motivation by K. Zamfir as modified by A. A. Rean and the Mouton-Blake Corporate Culture Test. The sample involved 267 medical employees of urban medical organizations, Primorye Region. The respondents demonstrated a general understanding of patient-centered approach, which they interpreted as communication skills with patients. The dominant culture was that of task, which allowed medical staff to achieve their goals through collective decisions and mutual assistance. However, this mutual assistance was mandated to them due to the lack of personnel. The model demonstrated a good potential for yielding psychological and organizational technologies for training, support, and correction of patient-centered issues in medical organizations.

Keywords

• patient-centered healthcare
• patient-centered model
• patient-centered approach
• component model of patient-centered healthcare
• corporate culture
• medical organization
• medical workers