Let’s quickly return to the landmark research of the Picker Commonwealth Program for Patient-Centered Care, based at Boston’s Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital* and published in 1988.

The study conducted a national qualitative research to identify the aspects of care most valued by patients, leading to a definition of patient-centered care:

“Health care that establishes a partnership between professionals, patients and their families, ensuring that decisions respect patients’ wants, needs and preferences and that patients have the education and support they need to make decisions and participate in their own care.”

This is the essence of a well-designed healthcare system, but 4-HSN further empowers the patient.

It remains respectful and sensitive to individual values, but is more inclusive. The patient-centric model proposed by 4-HSN gives the patient a controlling role over clinical-data flow and quality of their care.