title: The managerial and clinical implications of patient-focused care.
abstract: Discusses five elements of patient-focused care (PFC). Clarifies issues surrounding the first element--aggregating patients--and debates the strengths and weaknesses of the second element--centralizing services in PFC units. Explores arguments for and against the third element--multiskilling and cross-training--including staff activity in conventional hospitals and PFC units, in depth. Discusses the structure of PFC teams and their management. Describes the main components of the fourth PFC element--integrated carepaths--and explores their role in clinical audit, computerization and seamless care. Examines the costs of PFC by comparing actual with expected costs. Makes managerial, clinical, educational and research implications throughout for staff working in or with PFC units.
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Institute for Health, University of Leeds, UK.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hurst
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D019091:Critical Pathways; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods*; D017721:Hospital Costs; D006779:Hospitals, Public / Q000458:organization & administration; D007318:Inservice Training; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008499:Medical Records; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D018802:Patient-Centered Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration; D006113:United Kingdom