| Summary: | Contemporary society is characterised by at least three fundamental shifts. The first is an economic-technological shift, which becomes manifest in direct transactions on a global scale that are being made possible by advanced communications and information technology. The second is a relational shift that becomes visible in the rise of the networked society. Organisations develop into open and flexible network systems, which take on a more democratic character and in which power and influence are connected to relationships more than to positions. The third development is a cultural-spiritual shift. A ‘revolution from within’ is going on that is characterised by an increased interest in personal experience, new forms of consciousness and creativity (Scharmer and Kaufer, 2013, p 125). These changes concern all spheres of life: labour; education; living and recreation; and health and social care. They offer opportunities to live, learn and work in a more meaningful and humane way, but they also bring many uncertainties and the risk of emptiness, in economic, sociocultural and existential terms. When looking at the domain of health and social care, we see that costs and scope have ballooned in recent decades as a result of economic and technological-medical developments, the growing number of older people and people with a chronic disease, and the increasing complexity of healthcare needs. The most important challenge within care and cure now is how to provide high-quality care with fewer resources and less manpower. This special issue of the International Practice Development Journal puts forward an important perspective from which to do this: person-centred practice.
|
|---|
