Inclusion of person-centred care in medical and nursing undergraduate curricula in the UK: Interviews and documentary analysis

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to understand how person-centred care (PCC) is represented in UK professional standards for undergraduate medical/nursing education and explored how these are reflected in programme provision.

Methods: We identified PCC components in medical (GMC) and nursing (NMC) professional standards and university curricula documents provided. We also identified themes from interviews with high-level informants for medical/nursing undergraduate programmes using framework analysis.

Results: The GMC appears to promote a more paternalistic model of care with discrete PCC components in specific sections and the NMC a more collaborative model with PCC distributed throughout. These differences persisted into education delivery. Medical educators perceived greater barriers to inclusion of PCC than nursing educators; however, both consistently identified cultural and organisational attributes. Clarity was lacking regarding PCC definition, how to teach/assess PCC, and competence expectations.

Conclusion: Development of a PCC skills competence framework would increase consistency and support teaching and assessment in undergraduate curricula. Further research to understand the perspectives of healthcare professionals involved in placements would help inform PCC teaching recommendations.

Practice implications: High-level support from senior HEI leaders; multi-disciplinary approaches to curricula development, teaching, and assessment; and greater inclusion of service users would ensure higher quality PCC education for undergraduate students.

Keywords: Medical; Nursing; Person-centred care; Professional standards; Undergraduate education.