Education and counselling for person-centered care

After defining Person-centered medical education and counselling the authors describe the benefits of this approach as a basic goal and procedure of a medical practice based on science and humanism. Its main purpose is to empower patients on their therapeutic journey, enabling greater self-management and self-care. In this respect, they propose that any physician should be well trained to understand and manage three particular dimensions of the patient's health problem: (a) the biological one, the body and its physical illness, (b) the subjective pattern of disease (psychological and spiritual "aching") with its fears, concerns and, expectations; and, (c) the socio-cultural one, with all its "concepts and mythology of disease" and values established in any culture. Finally, practical implications are offered.