Table 1.

Overview of three discourses of patient-centeredness on the basis of five themes

	Discourse 1: caring for patients	Discourse 2: empowering patients	Discourse 3: being responsive
Why be patient-centered?	- Alleviate vulnerabilities - Lessen suffering - Improve quality of diagnosis	- Facilitate self-management - Respect patient autonomy	- Depends on the person and/or context - Center processes of communication
Patient identity: key words	- In need of care - Vulnerable - Experiencing individual	- Right to control - Capable of decision-making - Autonomous	- Multiple identities - Varying preferences
What is the primary role of the healthcare professional?	- To care	- To facilitate, advise, and coach patients in decision-making - To activate the will and ability to make decisions	- To be responsive to (and thus accept) the patient’s needs, values and preferences with respect to the content of encounters, the style of communication, and involvement in decision-making
Who is primarily responsible for decision-making?	- The healthcare professional	- The patient, who can decide to share responsibilities	- The healthcare professional and/or patient
What is the role of health information?	- For a good diagnosis - For compliance	- For a good diagnosis - For choice	- Tailored information - For compliance, for choice or withhold information