Although the past 20 years have marked a major shift in health care toward what is broadly referred to as 'patient-centredness,' this movement has not been well documented in academic literature, let alone has its meaning been explicitly defined. The concept has meant different things to different professional and patient groups. As a result, a book such as this was needed to provide a comprehensive review of the theory and practice of patient-centred health care and its interdisciplinary orientation. Besides providing a clear definition of what patient-centred care means, this text offers practical illustrations of how different disciplines can contribute to the effective development and implementation of patient-centred care.