Nursing has always endeavored to provide patient-centered care. However, its success in this effort has been limited by the traditional medical model which focuses on patients as dependent receivers of care. Typically, the types of health care services and methods of delivery are defined and determined by providers. Recently, there has been a theoretical shift in the paradigm from patient as recipient of care to patient as consumer and partner in care. However, changing the terminology from patient to consumer does not necessarily ensure that patients will be treated as consumers. This shift in focus is largely due to a mandate from regulators and payers for health care organizations to adopt industrial quality improvement (QI) models. Industry is successfully partnering with their customers in applying new quality measurement and process concepts to improve the functionality and reduce the cost of their products and services. Experts indicate that it is reasonable to assume that health care costs and outcomes can be similarly improved by increasing the involvement of the patient in the process of health care delivery. There are two major components of these models: 1) meeting customer's needs, preferences, and expectations; and 2) reducing waste and error.
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