Individualized care in a Finnish healthcare organization

This paper reports the findings of a study exploring the provision of indiv idualized care in a regional hospital in Finland. Individualized care was defined in terms of how patient individuality was t aken into account and how patient participation in decision-making was faci litated. The data were collected from hospitalized patients (n = 203) using a questi onnaire specially developed for this study. The response rate was 89%. A strong support to facilitate patient participation in decision-making was reported. Most shortcomings concerning the provision of individualized car e related to consideration of the patient's cultural background and the inv olvement of the patient's family in the planning of care. Patients' age and the type of ward were associated with the provision of in dividualized care: patients aged 65 or over were more satisfied than younge r age groups with the way in which their personal life situation had been t aken into account. Patients from the gynaecological ward thought, more than patients from the surgical ward, that their situation had been taken into account during hospitalization.