ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Preventing adverse events is one of the most important issues in health care. PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to determine the impact of person-centered interventions on patient outcomes in an acute care setting. METHODS: The review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses statement. Eligible interventions included person-centered interventions that address at least one of these outcomes: pressure ulcer, accidental falls, medication errors, and/or cross infection. RESULTS: The review showed that there is a paucity of evidence supporting the use of person-centered interventions in reducing patient falls. For the other outcomes, existing research provides an insufficient evidence base on which to draw conclusions. CONCLUSIONS: Theory of person-centeredness is still in its ascendency. Poor evidence may also be the result of quantitative research designs that are insufficient in studying the impact of a person-centered approach. We postulate that use of mixed-methods designs is beneficial and would give a clearer picture of the impact of person-centered interventions.