Person-centredness in cardiovascular care: the need for a whole-systems perspective

Major developments in cardiovascular disease (CVD) management have resulted in more people living longer with CVD1; however, survival can be accompanied by increased risk for multiple complex chronic conditions requiring holistic, individualized care. Person-centred care can address this need and has been consistently shown to improve health outcomes, enhance patient engagement in their care, and promote positive patient and family/carer experiences.2 However, the conceptualization, definition, and measurement of person-centred cardiovascular care have been the subject of ongoing academic debate because of inconsistent and often unclear characterization of the breadth of person-centred care.3 In this editorial, we surface some challenges associated with conceptualizing person-centredness (vs. patient-centredness) in cardiovascular care, including the need to consider all domains including the attributes of the practitioners,practice environment, and wider macro-context in which all cardiovascular care is embedded.