Abstract
In contemporary health care patients are no longer viewed as passive recipients of care but as consumers who have the right to expect quality care, to be engaged in decision-making and informed at every stage of their health care expe-rience. Often referred to as person centred care (PCC) this is a policy priority in many organisations. This presentation reports the findings of the first phase of a study exploring ex-patients' experience of receiving PCC in acute settings. Semi structured interviews were held with 10 people who believed their experience of care during an acute hospital admission was particularly good. Interviews were analysed for the concept of PCC using Van Manen's principles. Emerging concepts included: hollow care; going the extra mile; nursing intuition; making time; sharing information & power; autonomy, person-hood and dignity. This study revealed that, for people in the local community who had previously been patients in an acute care hospital, it was the 'little things' that nurses did for them that were valued as important indicators of care. The participants could clearly distinguish between nurses who seemed to be per-forming their work in a perfunctory or mechanical way (hollow care), and those who demonstrated compassion, and person-centeredness. When nurses went the extra mile, it was noticeable and appreciated. In terms of identifying the presence of PCC in action, participants indicated an apprecia-tion for person-centeredness, because it stood out in comparison with the more dominant mechani-cal or perfunctory care. This notion of knowing something exists because it stands in stark contrast with the norm is an important insight to health care services seeking to implement and expand PCC practices. Perhaps simple customisation of the way nursing care is delivered could make all the difference in improving consumer satisfaction, and engendering a more mutually rewarding nurse-client experience.