What is people centred care?

Treat the person, not just the disease.

People living with cancer don’t always feel heard, seen, or understood. They might feel alienated and voiceless at a time when they’re also learning to navigate an unfamiliar and confusing health system, not to mention dealing with the emotional highs and lows of cancer diagnosis, treatment, or recovery.

People-centred cancer care represents an opportunity to refocus, rewire, and rewrite how we think about cancer, to embrace people’s differences, and to make sure that everyone is seen for who they really are and has access to the care they need.

What is the problem?

More and more people are affected by cancer. In 2022 alone, 20 million people were diagnosed with the disease. For many of them, cancer becomes a long-term condition that overlaps with other physical and mental health issues as well as socioeconomic factors, and requires complex, ongoing care.

It can disrupt many areas of life, including job prospects, financial or family responsibilities, relationships, physical, sexual and emotional well-being. Its impact often extends beyond the individual, affecting caregivers, families, and entire communities.

As the number of people affected by cancer continues to rise, so does the need to ensure services are accessible, appropriate, and adapted to individuals and populations that use them.

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The current approach is insufficient  

The traditional model of cancer care tends to focus primarily on the biological causes and physical symptoms of the illness experienced by an individual. While it has been instrumental in advancing diagnostics and treatment, it can overlook the psychological, social, financial, and environmental factors, such as living conditions and geographical location, exposure to pollution, or access to green spaces, that also influence illness and recovery. A person’s daily circumstances – their routines, responsibilities, living environment, income level, insurance coverage, support systems, and cultural contexts – all influence how individuals and families access health care, how they experience cancer, and how, if diagnosed, they respond to treatment.

FOR EXAMPLE:

MENTAL HEALTH

People living with cancer who suffer from untreated depression are less likely to adhere to treatment and more likely to experience poorer outcomes.

FINANCIAL TOXICITY

High out-of-pocket costs can lead people to skip medications, delay appointments, or avoid follow-up altogether - worsening health outcomes.  

LIFE VERSUS LIVING

Decisions are too often made with a focus on prolonging life, without enough meaningful discussion around quality of life, supportive care, the preferences of people affected by cancer, or dignity in care.  

People-centred care as an alternative model

People-centred care is an approach that focuses on the needs, values, and active participation of individuals, families, and communities in the planning, delivery, and evaluation of care. This approach represents a fundamental shift in how health and cancer services are designed and delivered, placing individuals, families, and communities at the heart of health systems.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Fundación Aladina, a Spanish foundation, is a strong example of people-centred care in action. Its programmes are designed around the specific needs of children with cancer and their families, ensuring that support goes beyond medical treatment to include emotional, psychological, and material assistance. By involving families in care decisions and improving hospital environments, the organisation helps create a more compassionate and holistic healthcare experience. 

How does it work?

It’s about collaboration.

People-centred care reorients healthcare around people instead of diseases. It recognises that every person is unique and prioritises their needs, hears their concerns with compassion and empathy, helps them retain autonomy, and empowers them to actively participate in the decision-making process rather than simply being passive receivers of care.

It’s about connection.

People-centred care also recognises the importance of social ties. It seeks to engage individuals, families, and communities beyond the clinical setting and is built on the knowledge that involving these connections enables more humane and holistic care that better meets a person’s unique physical, mental, and spiritual needs.

It’s about community.

People are more than just patients, and before they ever interact with a healthcare system, they benefit by being informed and engaged. Taking a community approach to cancer care improves health literacy and self-care while ensuring that health systems meet the real-world needs of the people they serve.

It’s a proven approach

Support for a people-centred care approach has been growing for years, and for good reason: it improves access to care and provides many positive effects throughout treatment and recovery, leading to improvements in both physical and emotional wellbeing. The World Health Organization has written that developing more integrated people-centred care systems “has the potential to generate significant benefits to the health and healthcare of all people.”

Studies show that integrated people-centred care models:

Result in individuals feeling better throughout treatment
Lead to higher quality of care and more trust in doctors
Increase overall satisfaction among patients and families
Improve the morale of healthcare workers
Reduce disparities in access to and in the delivery of services, ensuring that everyone can receive the care they need, when and where they need it

Enhance efficiency by providing services in the most cost-effective manner, balancing health promotion, prevention, and treatment, and minimising resource waste
Bolsters resilience by strengthening the capacity of health systems to respond effectively to public health crises, ensuring that no one is left behind.

It turns out that when a compassionate, humanising, and empowering approach is thoroughly incorporated into a health system – one that not only understands but values a person’s inherent uniqueness – it creates a different kind of relationship between patient and provider. It brings everyone closer together.

In short, it allows us all to be United by Unique.

What’s in a name?
Patient vs Person vs People

In healthcare, you’ll hear about people-centred care, but also “person-centred” and “patient-centred care”. These terms are closely related and are often used interchangeably. But they are not the same.

Patient-centred care respects a patient’s feelings, values, and preferences about their own care. It emphasises the importance of treating patients as partners and can involve shared decision-making. The care is coordinated across different services and providers to help ensure that all aspects of the treatment are aligned, reducing confusion and improving the overall experience. Patient-centred care specifically relates to the clinical context and interactions within a healthcare system.

Person-centred care expands the focus beyond the patient to the individual as a whole person and considers all aspects of their life, not just their disease. It values people’s unique experiences and wishes, including psychological, social, and spiritual needs. It supports the individual in a holistic manner, taking their personal life, identity, and social context into account.

People-centred care takes the most valuable elements of the patient- and person-centred models and places them within the broader context of community. This model takes the widest possible view, as individuals actively participate in their treatment and their experiences and values are heard and respected, while it engages families, social connections, and wider communities as vital pillars of high-quality cancer care. It’s also intended to address the health of entire populations, ensuring that healthcare systems are designed to serve all people equitably and inclusively.

In conclusion

Patient-centred care focuses specifically on the individual as a patient within the healthcare system.

Person-centred care considers the individual holistically, within the broader context of their life.

People-centred care focuses on the health and well-being of entire populations or communities, aiming to improve healthcare systems and access for all.

All approaches are essential for delivering comprehensive and effective healthcare, and while the World Cancer Day campaign theme particularly highlights ‘people-centred care’, it does, of course, encompass the key elements and driving force of person- and patient-centred care approaches.

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The new World Cancer Day theme 2025-2027 "United by Unique" places patients and people at the centre of care and their stories at the heart of the conversation.