The evidence behind personalised care
Through personalised care, people have the opportunity to be actively involved in the decision-making process around their treatment options and care by speaking up on things that feel most important to them. There is increasing evidence to show that involving people in decisions about their healthcare leads to improvements in the quality of care, higher patient satisfaction and improved health outcomes, all of which lead to the more effective use of healthcare services.
What does research show about personalised care?
Recent research from The Health Foundation, monitoring 9,000 people with long-term conditions, revealed that people who feel confident to manage their health have 18% fewer GP contacts and 38% fewer emergency admissions than people with less confidence. This research is significant in showing how the effective delivery of personalised care can reduce the avoidable use of health services and improve patients’ lives.
Studies carried out by Islington CCG also demonstrated that patients with long-term conditions who were highly activated through self-management capability used healthcare services much less.
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust introduced the Patient Activation Measure to understand levels of patient activation with elderly patients who had two or more long-term conditions and who were at high risk of an emergency admission.
Macmillan Cancer Support has started to use personalised care when speaking to those with a cancer diagnosis, offering tailored support and empowering them to be involved in their own care plan.
The AQuA programme found that when shared decision making was implemented, there were improvements in specific health indicators such as better blood glucose control in patients with diabetes, hospital stays being shorter, fewer missed appointments and fewer complaints.
The evidence base for personalised care continues to grow, demonstrating a positive impact on people, the healthcare system and healthcare professionals. Shared decision making between people and clinicians about their tests, treatments and support options leads to more realistic expectations, a better match between individuals’ values and treatment choices, and fewer unnecessary interventions.
If you are from a university or research institution and would like to work with us to further develop the evidence base for personalised care please visit our partnerships section.