Axiological analysis for the role of values in person-centered healthcare

Abstract

In this paper, an axiological analysis for the role of values in person-centered healthcare is undertaken from aesthetic, epistemic, and ethical perspectives, given the backdrop of a robust notion of personhood. To that end, personhood is first analyzed and conceptualized to provide a practical framework for situating the axiological analysis for the role of values, especially the value of human dignity, in healthcare. In terms of aesthetic values, beauty plays an essential role within person-centered healthcare, especially with respect to the value of wellbeing, and for providing a platform to analyze further both epistemic and ethical values in healthcare. With respect to epistemic values, truth - particularly in terms of the value of competence - plays a critical role in providing effective healthcare. In terms of ethical values, the good, especially with respect to the value of caring, plays a vital role in shaping how both clinicians and patients comport themselves in the clinical encounter. In a concluding section, the significance of the axiological analysis for the role of values in person-centered healthcare, in contrast to healthcare based on the biomedical model, is briefly discussed.