Patient-Centered Care in Resource-Limited Settings: A Critical Review of Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.654361/LJMR.20.2.62Keywords:
Patient-centred care, Knowledge, Attitudes, Practices, Resource-limited settingsAbstract
Patient-centred care (PCC) is emerging as a core principle of high-quality healthcare, where clinical decisions align with patients’ values, preferences, and sociocultural contexts. However, despite strong theoretical and some empirical backing for the impact of PCC on patient satisfaction, adherence, and clinical outcomes compared to standard care, its adoption has been erratic—especially in low- and middle-income settings. This literature review critically appraises Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) surrounding PCC, with relevance to Benghazi in Libya and the wider global context. Although healthcare professionals appear to have adequate theoretical knowledge of PCC-related principles, a persistent divide remains between what they know and how they practice in the clinical environment. Value-based models are commonly restricted by entrenched provider-driven attitudes, organisational opposition to change, and system-level so-called competing priorities that place efficiency above patient involvement. Their quality has also been impeded by practical limitations such as poor resourcing, inadequate training and lack of gold standard assessment. Various sociodemographic factors like education, age, sex, and socioeconomic status also add to KAP perspectives and resulting variations in patient experience and engagement. Generally, PCC concepts still exist conceptually in the local context, but they lack the necessary operationalisation to be effective. Educational, organisational, and policy-level interventions are needed to counter these challenges and close the gap between research and practice
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Copyright (c) 2026 Anas M. S. Altweel, Moutaz F. Gebril, Aram Elhashem, Hwuida Kh. A. Maghoud, Hussien Hamid, Heithum S. Baiu, Ahmed. S. Mikael, Mahmoud A. Aloriby (Author)

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