Healthcare Administration, Social Work, and Health Assistants: A Unified Model for Patient-Centered Care

Abstract

Modern healthcare systems have shifted to center around patient-centered care, making efforts to design service structures for people to satisfy their individual needs. In this model, the medical and social expertise of health administrators, social workers, and health assistants are integrated together to overcome medical, social, and emotional barriers faced by the patients. Administrators establish and design systems and policies ensuring interdisciplinary collaboration, while social workers address social determinants of health, and health assistants provide direct support to patients. This paper reviews the roles of such professionals within the model of patient-centered care and proposes strategies for enhancing collaboration to improve patient outcomes and reduce health disparities.