Person Centered Care And Optimal Wellbeing

By Mbuso Mabuza

Making sure that people are involved and central to their care is now recognised as a key component of developing high quality healthcare. Adopting person-centred care as "business as usual" requires fundamental changes to how services are delivered and to roles – not only those of health care professionals, but of patients too – and the relationships between patients, health care professionals and teams.

Countless occasions over the last few years have reminded me again and again that there is much more to health than vital signs, laboratory tests, or medications. 

As physicians, we need to remove administrative obstacles and allow our patients' wish to take an active role in their own care. Navigating between an individual's need to fight a life-threatening illness and the desire to remain intellectually acute is one of medicine's greatest challenges. Bedridden as our patients may be, some reveal a zest for life. They are compelled by something much deeper than the pursuit of the perfect physical condition, which many of us erroneously equate with health. They operate out of courage and that indefatigable need to persevere to fulfil one's purpose no matter what the challenge.

Truly, to grasp the deepest meaning of health, it is necessary to broaden its definition beyond the physical. Optimal health requires an integration of physical, mental, spiritual, social and environmental wellbeing.

Consistent with the personalisation agenda, health and social care services give people control over, and responsibility for their own health and wellbeing working in partnership with health and social care professionals. They put people at the centre of the planning process, and recognise that they are best placed to understand their own needs and how to meet them.

In recent years there has been a return to natural remedies, putting to the test the ancient curative traditions. Many have received the backing of science. Today, although there is evidence of the usefulness of natural remedies, people continue to search for confirmation, and we will share the most relevant of these findings.

There is growing recognition about the linkages between working conditions, health, and productivity. At industry and institutional level, the importance of health is often played down. It is increasingly important to gain a critical understanding of the psychological, social and organisational aspects of the dynamic relationship between work and health.

It is important for health policy to recognise the importance of self-care, especially where it intersects with health systems and health professionals. Given the potential to enhance health and wellbeing, self-care is an important component of people-centred care. A people-centred framing emphasises psychological, empowerment, and self-fulfilment needs, placing less emphasis on technical activities and instead looking at self-care in terms of capacities, building on a person's "health assets," both as a condition for and a product of the practice of self-care.

Health needs to be recognised as an ongoing process of self-discovery, manifesting as positive influence on the world around us. It is a means to living a successful and satisfying life. Individual efforts are necessary but insufficient for optimal health. We need to create approaches and systems in economics, environment, politics, and in the delivery of medical care that elicit and sustain individual strategies.

True quality of life is holistic. It is not possible to have a happy existence by only caring for one or two aspects of the human dimensions. All are part of the same fabric, and balanced health is only possible when all are cared for.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lekwandza Media
• Release date: Jan 31, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224049103

Mbuso Mabuza

Dr Mbuso Mabuza is a highly motivated and multi-skilled international public health professional who has served in the public and private sectors of different countries. He has served as a prevention specialist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and as a consultant at the World Bank, among others. His mission is to improve health outcomes and to expand quality healthcare experiences amongst all groups of people and influence change and innovation.

Book preview

Preface

Making sure that people are involved and central to their care is now recognised as a key component of developing high quality healthcare. Adopting person-centred care as business as usual requires fundamental changes to how services are delivered and to roles – not only those of health care professionals, but of patients too – and the relationships between patients, health care professionals and teams.

Countless occasions over the last few years have reminded me again and again that there is much more to health than vital signs, laboratory tests, or medications. It is simply not good enough for your doctor to medicate your symptoms as they arise. It is unacceptable when there are preventive steps you can take to oppose the underlying causes of all the controllable diseases. Steps that not only maximise your chance of living longer but ensure that you do so healthily too.

As physicians, we need to remove administrative obstacles and allow our patients’ wish to take an active role in their own care. Navigating between an individual’s need to fight a life-threatening illness and the desire to remain intellectually acute is one of medicine’s greatest challenges. Bedridden as our patients may be, some reveal a zest for life. They are compelled by something much deeper than the pursuit of the perfect physical condition, which many of us erroneously equate with health. They operate out of courage and that indefatigable need to persevere to fulfil one’s purpose no matter what the challenge.

The question of why we live is more important than how we live. And why we seek health is of greater significance than particular practices and potions. So, how do we define this inner state of health? Health is an attitude or orientation comprising our basic values and beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. It is an inner quality that gives rise to particular health practices but cannot in itself be reduced to those practices. Truly, to grasp the deepest meaning of health, it is necessary to broaden its definition beyond the physical. Optimal health requires an integration of physical, mental, spiritual, social and environmental wellbeing.

A sense of belonging and connection to other people appears to be a basic human need – as basic as food and shelter. In fact, social support may be one of the critical elements distinguishing those who remain healthy from those who become ill. It helps to prevent illness by maintaining a homoeostasis – our physical and mental equilibrium – and thereby protecting the immune system. Given the links between psychological, neurological, and immune responses, it is becoming increasingly clear that the presence or absence of social support has a profound influence on health and illness.

When we are isolated from others, it is readily apparent to us; it is much more difficult to recognise that we are isolated from parts of ourselves. Feeling apart from oneself, apart from others, and apart from a sense of meaning in life is a fundamental cause of chronic stress. In other words, our positive connections to other people are a direct cause of our wellbeing, health and longevity.

Consistent with the personalisation agenda, health and social care services give people control over, and responsibility for their own health and wellbeing working in partnership with health and social care professionals. They put people at the centre of the planning process, and recognise that they are best placed to understand their own needs and how to meet them.

Physical fitness can have a lasting influence on your health, and most people appreciate the benefits of exercise – we know it is good for us. But it has to be regular and chosen to suit our abilities and way of life. Regular exercise can profoundly reshape your body and mind, making you not only physically fitter but more alert generally. The chemicals that your body processes in the course of exertion can give you a ‘high’ that will last the week. You will eat better, sleep better and will bring more energy and enthusiasm to everything that you do.

From the prenatal period throughout life, people must have adequate nutrition to prevent malnourishment and minimise the development of illnesses that may be worsened by poor dietary practices. Food supports growth and development by providing the body with the nutrients needed for the production of energy, repair of damaged tissue, growth of new tissue, and regulation of physiological processes, all of which undergird full participation in the activities that constitute our days, weeks, months, and years of living. But our diets are more than that. Our food selections reflect personal, familial, and cultural traditions.

In recent years there has been a return to natural remedies, putting to the test the ancient curative traditions. Many have received the backing of science. Today, although there is evidence of the usefulness of natural remedies, people continue to search for confirmation, and we will share the most relevant of these findings.

There is growing recognition about the linkages between working conditions, health, and productivity. At industry and institutional level, the importance of health is often played down. It is increasingly important to gain a critical understanding of the psychological, social and organisational aspects of the dynamic relationship between work