Person-centred care

Person-centred care is centred on the person with developmental disability, so they are supported to make informed choices about their care, and the services and supports that they use; in this way, the individual’s strengths, needs, interests and goals are taken into account. Decision making for people with developmental disability is discussed further here.

Person-centred health care is enabled by thorough patient assessment and maintenance of a comprehensive health record that includes information about the person’s preferences and communications needs, and can guide reasonable adjustments to care.

To practice optimal person-centred health care, practitioners must be aware of the broader context of a person’s life. Otherwise, diagnoses may be missed when physical symptoms or altered behaviours are mistakenly attributed to the person’s disability; this is referred to as ‘diagnostic overshadowing’.