Competency Statement: The nursing student demonstrates the ability to plan and provide care that is respectful of the person’s individual needs, values and life experiences.
Knowledge
The nursing student:
- Discusses the meaning of person-centred care
- Describes how person-centred care impacts patient safety and wellbeing
- Outlines interpersonal skills that are consistent with a person-centred approach
- Describes strategies that can be used to support people to take responsibility for their health and wellbeing
- Describes when it is or is not appropriate to advocate for people
Skills
The nursing student:
- Demonstrates an ability to provide holistic care that takes into account the person’s current situation, previous experiences and life history
- Works in partnership with the person by including them in decisions and plans related to their healthcare
- Considers the person’s rights, preferences, needs and values when planning and providing care
- Supports the person to make informed choices about their healthcare
- Provides care with the person’s informed consent
- Demonstrates empathy by seeking to understand the person’s perspectives, views and feelings
- Demonstrates respect by maintaining the person’s dignity and privacy
- Advocates for people, if required, to ensure that their values, needs and preferences are upheld
Person-centred care is the central tenet underpinning the delivery of safe and effective nursing care. It is a holistic approach that is grounded in a philosophy of personhood. Person-centred care means treating each person as an individual, protecting their dignity, respecting their rights and preferences, and developing a therapeutic relationship that is built on mutual trust and empathic understandings.
Note: The term 'person' in this context refers to the patient, their family and/or significant others. In the case of a child, person-centred care also denotes family-centred care.