Guest Contributor: Cassidy J. Ohnstad
DNP (psychiatric mental health) student, University of Wyoming

Person-centered care (PCC) is a valuable approach to holistic, individualized care that contrasts with the current cookie-cutter model of healthcare. Unlike patient-centered care, which often focuses narrowly on illness and treatment, PCC recognizes the person as a whole being with unique experiences, values, and goals. Its importance lies in empowering individuals to take an active role in their health, fostering self-efficacy, and strengthening therapeutic relationships that lead to better long-term outcomes. Boykin & Schoenhofer (2013)provide a strong philosophical foundation for PCC by affirming that all persons are caring by virtue of their humanness and that authentic presence transforms relationships. It is important to distinguish between patient-centered care and person-centered care (PCC).

Patient-centered care emphasizes a clinical focus that centers on treating illnesses and managing diseases (Coulter and Oldham 2016). In contrast, person-centered care adopts a more holistic approach that considers overall health, looks beyond disease, and places the person at the center of care, emphasizing individuals as whole beings with their own values, preferences, and life experiences (World Health Organization [WHO], 2007). The Theory of Nursing as Caring reinforces this idea by asserting that “persons are caring by virtue of their humanness” and that “nursing is nurturing persons living caring and growing in caring” (Boykin & Schoenhofer, 2013, pp. 11–12). These assumptions highlight that each person possesses inherent worth and the capacity for self-care, which mirrors the foundation of PCC. Additionally, person-centered care is empowering, supporting continuous care throughout the lifespan and self-efficacy.

PCC is not a new idea; in 1940, Carl Rogers, an American psychologist, introduced the concept of person-centered therapy (Yao & Kabir, 2023). This model, rooted in psychology, was initially called non-directive therapy and aimed to help clients become the guides of their own care, based on the belief that each person is unique, has their own way of managing their world, and should be trusted and supported in doing so (Psychology Today, 2022). Coulter and Oldham (2016) gave an excellent definition when they wrote that PCC “means treating patients as individuals and as equal partners in the business of healing” (p. 114).

PCC is a holistic approach that incorporates the entire biopsychosocial human, which differs from the more clinical patient-centered care approach. This idea closely aligns with Boykin and Schoenhofer’s (2013) Theory of Nursing as Caring, highlighted on Nursology.net, which views the nurse-person relationship as a “shared lived experience in which the caring between nurse and nursed enhances personhood” (p. 15). By emphasizing that “persons are caring by virtue of their humanness” and that “nursing is nurturing persons living caring and growing in caring” (pp. 11–12), this framework reaffirms the philosophical foundation of person-centered care, honoring the person as a whole, capable, and inherently valuable. Patient-centered care is a narrow view that focuses on the disease or problem. The term ‘patient’ itself is defined as “an individual awaiting or under medical care and treatment” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.), which implies the individual has a condition needing to be treated. Conversely, PCC emphasizes a way of thinking that enables individuals to establish long-term relationships with healthcare providers and nurses focused on health and disease prevention throughout their lifespan, with an emphasis on empowering them to take an active role in their own health (WHO, 2025).

An old saying that still holds true is: “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime” -Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (Quote Investigator, 2015). Healthcare has gravitated toward giving away the fish by viewing individuals primarily as patients who are treated by a provider for a condition, with the expectation that the provider will “fix” the issue. PCC, then, is important because it teaches people to fish, shifting the focus from the provider to the individual and recognizing each person’s potential to manage their own health, while emphasizing disease prevention and overall well-being. Boykin and Schoenhofer (2013) complement this philosophy by encouraging nurses to view each person as capable of growth and caring for themselves. A shift towards self-efficacy has the potential to decrease the incidence and lower mortality rates related to chronic disease. Additionally, the PCC model allows individuals to foster relationships with the entire healthcare team, instead of only the primary care providers (PCP). This is beneficial as the shortage of PCPs increases; a relationship with nurses and other team members is essential to prevent barriers to access to primary care.

References

Boykin, A., & Schoenhofer, S. O. (2013). Nursing as caring: A model for transforming practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. https://nursology.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/nursing-as-caring-pdf.pdf

Coulter, A., & Oldham, J. (2016). Person-centered care: What is it and how do we get there? Future Hospital Journal, 3(2), 114–116. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6465833/#:~:text=There%20is%20good%20evidence%20that,used%20in%20the%20right%20way.&text=Many%20such%20tools%20are%20now,the%20touch%20of%20a%20button.&text=The%20importance%20of%20ensuring%20that,by%20the%20UK%20S

Quote Investigator. (2015, August 28). Quote Origin: Give a Man a Fish, and You Feed Him for a Day. Teach a Man to Fish, and You Feed Him for a Lifetime. quoteinvestigator.com. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/08/28/fish/

Merriam-Webster (Ed.). (n.d.). Merriam-Webster.com/dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/patient

Psychology Today. (2022, July 1). Person-centered therapy. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapy-types/person-centered-therapy#:~:text=The%20approach%20originated%20in%20the,is%20needed%20to%20repair%20it.

World Health Organization. (2007). People-centered health care: A policy framework. https://iris.who.int/server/api/core/bitstreams/1b7c2f61-17c7-415f-81cf-8690d329b76a/content

World Health Organization. (2025). Integrated people-centered care. who.int. https://www.who.int/health-topics/integrated-people-centered-care#tab=tab_3

Yao, L., & Kabir, R. (2023). Person-centered therapy (Rogerian therapy). In StatPearls [Internet] (p. n.p.). StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK589708/

About Cassidy J. Ohnstad, BSN, RN

I am currently a DNP PMHNP student at the University of Wyoming. I have been a nurse for 13 years, and I am passionate about person-centered care, mental health, and supporting individuals in my rural community. When I am not with patients or studying, I enjoy baking, board games, camping, and spending time with my husband and two sons.