A person with diabetes says the proposed follow-up plan is difficult because travel is expensive. Which response best demonstrates person-centred care?

Discuss the person's preferences and travel barrier, and agree on a feasible care plan together.. Listening to the person's circumstances and involving them in decisions makes the plan responsive to their needs. A transport barrier can be discussed without assuming that a particular transport service exists. Keeping the plan unchanged ignores circumstances. Asking the person to choose without explanation removes informed discussion. Stopping all follow-up abandons continuity. Learn more: Whole-person care and shared decisions.

Consider the following statements about integrated care: 1. Services can coordinate across different care settings. 2. All services must be located in one building. Which statement is correct?

1 only. Statement 1 is correct: integrated care connects services around people’s needs across settings and over time. Statement 2 is incorrect: coordination does not require every service to be in the same building. Learn more: How integrated services connect.

A patient receiving treatment for a serious illness also has pain and other symptoms affecting quality of life. Which statement best reflects the role of palliative care?

It can be offered early alongside other treatment to improve quality of life.. Palliative care supports quality of life for patients and families and can be provided early alongside other treatment. Restricting it to the final days or waiting until all other treatment ends imposes false limits. Ignoring symptoms over time neglects ongoing needs. Learn more: Palliative care alongside other treatment.

Which of the following are components of the broader primary health care approach? 1. Integrated health services. 2. Action across sectors on wider determinants of health. 3. Empowered people and communities. How many of the above are correct?

All three. All three are components of primary health care: integrated health services, multisectoral action on wider determinants, and empowered people and communities. Primary care and essential public health functions are foundations of the first component. Learn more: The three components of primary health care.

A product advertisement says that its treatment is proven effective because it is labelled “holistic”. Which assessment is most appropriate?

Assess the specific treatment's evidence, quality and safety; its label alone does not establish effectiveness.. Whole-person care is an approach to people's needs. The effectiveness and safety of a particular treatment require evidence and appropriate safeguards. Accepting a treatment because of its label is not enough. Unsupported product claims do not justify dismissing whole-person care. Learn more: Whole-person care and treatment evidence.

Holistic Healthcare: Person-Centred and Integrated Care

A holistic healthcare system considers the whole person and connects the care they need over time. It looks beyond a single disease to physical and mental health, a person's circumstances and preferences, and the services needed for prevention, treatment and support. It does not mean that every treatment called “holistic” is effective. WHO: people-centred care

1. What does “whole person” mean?

A person's health is shaped by more than symptoms. Their housing, education, work and access to food can influence health and the choices available to them. A person-centred service listens to people and involves them in decisions about their care. WHO: social determinants of health; WHO: integrated care

Example: Rani has diabetes. During a visit, a health worker listens to her concerns, discusses a care plan with her and asks whether travel makes follow-up difficult. If a referral is needed, the services coordinate it and follow up. This is an illustrative example, not a promise that every facility provides every service.

Check 1 — True or false: Whole-person care considers a patient’s circumstances and preferences as well as symptoms.

2. How do services connect?

Integrated care brings services together around people's needs across different settings and over time. The range can include health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care. A referral is one possible link between services; follow-up helps connect one stage of care to another. WHO: service integration

Think of a journey: prevention → assessment → treatment → follow-up and support. The route varies with the person's needs; it is not a compulsory sequence.

Palliative care aims to improve quality of life for patients and families facing serious illness. It can be offered early alongside other treatments; it is not limited to the final days of life. WHO: palliative care; WHO Europe: palliative care alongside treatment

Care organised around a person

An illustrative journey — not a fixed sequence.

1. Listen and understandDiscuss health, daily life, needs and the person’s preferences.
2. Make a plan togetherAgree on goals and care choices with the person and care team.
3. Connect the support neededCoordinate relevant providers and services across settings over time.
4. Follow up and adaptReview progress and update the plan with the person as needs change.

The person’s voice matters throughout.

The text above is the complete equivalent of the diagram. Based on WHO: integrated people-centred care.

Check 2 — True or false: Integrated care may connect prevention, treatment and rehabilitation.

Check 3 — True or false: Palliative care can be provided alongside other treatment.

3. What is primary health care?

WHO describes primary health care (PHC) as a whole-of-society approach. It has three connected components. The first is integrated health services, with primary care and essential public health functions as the foundation. The others are action across sectors on wider determinants of health, and empowered people and communities. It covers needs throughout life. WHO: primary health care

Primary care is the first-contact care that people receive for many health needs. PHC is the broader approach: it also includes work beyond clinical care and participation by people and communities. Primary care can connect people with other levels of care when needed. WHO: primary health care questions and answers

Check 4 — True or false: Primary health care means only the first consultation with a doctor.

4. Where do communities and other sectors fit?

Healthcare services alone cannot determine every condition in which people live. Housing, education and working conditions are among the social determinants of health. Health systems can work with other sectors and communities to address these wider influences. WHO: social determinants; WHO: primary health care

For example, a clinician can discuss a patient's health needs while local services address a barrier such as transport. The example illustrates coordination; it does not imply that such support exists everywhere.

5. Is holistic care the same as AYUSH?

No. Whole-person care describes an approach to people and their needs. AYUSH describes a group of healthcare systems discussed in the related AYUSH lesson. A whole-person approach can be used in different care settings. Whether a particular treatment is appropriate depends on evidence, quality and safety; its label alone is not proof. WHO stresses evidence, safety, appropriate regulation and qualified practitioners when considering traditional medicine. WHO: traditional medicine; WHO: trained practitioners

6. How is this related to universal health coverage?

Universal health coverage (UHC) means that all people can access the quality health services they need without financial hardship. Person-centred and integrated services concern how care is organised and delivered; UHC also asks whether people can obtain needed services without financial hardship. The ideas support each other, but the terms are not interchangeable. WHO: universal health coverage and integrated care

7. Common mix-ups

Holistic care is not a substitute for evidence. Being attentive to the whole person does not establish that a specific treatment works. WHO: evidence for traditional medicine; WHO: practitioner training
PHC is broader than primary care. Primary care is a foundation of PHC, which also includes action across sectors and empowered communities. WHO: PHC
Palliative care is not only end-of-life care. It can be provided early and alongside other treatment. WHO: palliative care overview; WHO Europe: early palliative care
Integration does not mean every service is in one building. It means coordination around people's needs across services and settings. WHO: integrated care

Check 5 — True or false: A treatment is proven effective simply because it is called holistic.

8. Your check score

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9. Related lessons

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