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Picker Institute’s Eight Principles of Patient-Centered Care originated with the Seven Dimensions of Patient-Centered Care, whose development was traced in the 1993 groundbreaking book Through the Patient’s Eyes. Using a wide range of focus groups—recently discharged patients, family members, physicians and non-physician hospital staff—combined with a review of pertinent literature, researchers from Harvard Medical School, on behalf of Picker Institute and The Commonwealth Fund, defined seven primary dimensions of patient-centered care. In 1987, an eighth principle was added and the dimensions were renamed the Picker Principles of Patient-Centered Care. The Eight Principles embody Picker Institute’s conviction that all patients deserve high-quality healthcare, and that patients’ views and experiences are integral to improvement efforts. The Eight Picker Principles of Patient-Centered Care are:

• Respect for patients’ values, preferences and expressed needs
• Coordination and integration of care
• Information, communication and education
• Physical comfort
• Emotional support and alleviation of fear and anxiety
• Involvement of family and friends
• Continuity and transition
• Access to care

Watch a short video presentation of each principle at the link below.