Purpose and scope
The purpose of this guideline is to promote the evidence-based cultural and equitable practices associated with people-centred care, and to help health and social service providers acquire the knowledge, skills and judgment necessary to become more adept with people-centred care. The recommendations and good practice statements will assist health and social service providers to learn about and from people accessing health and social services, develop an authentic relationship with people, and co-design a plan of care. The recommendations will also better align with and support the evolving health and social care landscape to embed the philosophy of people-centred care.
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Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO). People-Centred Care. 3rd ed. Toronto (ON): RNAO; 2025.
Recommendations
Do you want to learn about and implement the most- up-to-date evidence-based recommendations on this topic with your colleagues? Download and share the full best practice guideline (BPG), People-Centred Care.
See below for a snapshot of the recommendations from this BPG. We strongly suggest you review the full BPG before implementing the recommendations and good practice statements. The BPG also includes further resources to support implementation and evaluation.
Good Practice Statement 1.0: It is good practice for health and social service providers to establish and maintain a therapeutic relationship with people that is grounded in trauma-informed care and culturally safe practices, ensuring respect, trust and collaboration.
Good practice statement 2.0: It is good practice for health and social service providers to participate in shared decision making with people as they make informed decisions about their treatment, care and services.
Good practice statement 3.0: It is good practice for health and social service providers to regularly assess people for readiness for advance care planning and facilitate the process when ready
Recommendation 1.0: The expert panel recommends that people are provided with decision aids to enhance participation in making informed decisions related to health screening and health-care
treatment options.
Good practice statement 4.0: It is good practice for health and social service providers to collaboratively develop a plan of care with people that reflects their values, beliefs, goals, needs, attitudes, and preferences.
Recommendation 2.0: The expert panel suggests that people are provided with eye masks and/or earplugs as a sensory-minimizing strategy according to the needs and preferences of the person.
Good practice statement 5.0: Where virtual care can be offered as an alternative to in-person care, it is good practice for health and social service providers to determine appropriateness and modality based on people’s care needs and preferences and to adjust as needs evolve.
Disclaimer: These guidelines are not binding for nurses, other health providers or the organizations that employ them. The use of these guidelines should be flexible and based on individual needs and local circumstances. They constitute neither a liability nor discharge from liability. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the contents at the time of publication, neither the authors nor the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO) gives any guarantee as to the accuracy of the information contained in them or accepts any liability with respect to loss, damage, injury or expense arising from any such errors or omission in the contents of this work.
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