91̽��

The organizing committee would like to share some insights and highlights from LearnPCC, which took place on 12-13 December 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden. The overall aim of the conference was to advance person-centred approaches in healthcare education. Three themes were in focus  at the conference; "Pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning of person-centredness in healthcare education”, “Creating compassionate learning environments for students in healthcare education”, and “Translating the theory of person-centredness into practice: From university learning to clinical practice”. We invited leading scholars from the Sahlgrenska Academy, as well as keynote speakers from Sweden, Finland, and Canada, along with researchers, doctoral students, and students as presenters at the conference to create vibrant and critical discussions on the topics. 

The conference was opened by Gudmundur Johannsson, Professor at the Department of Internal Medicine and Clinical Nutrition, Sahlgrenska Academy, and Vice Dean at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University 91̽��, Sweden. On the second day, the conference was opened by Ewa-Lena Bratt, Professor and Vice Dean for Internationalization and Collaboration at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University 91̽��.

Three Keynote Speakers including a student

We had three brilliant keynote speakers, among them Bengt Kristensson Uggla, professor of Philosophy, Culture and Management at Åbo Academy University, Turku, Finland. He talked about "Person-Centred Care: Practical Knowledge with a Need for Theoretical Foundations", and his main message was that the practical knowledge in person-centred care needs to be supported by theoretical foundations. In addition, he highlighted the discrepancy between understanding and practicing knowledge, as well as the ways in which understanding and intelligibility may differ across various traditions.

The other keynote speaker was Amanda Duregård, a nursing student at the Department of Health and Care 91̽��s, Gothenburg university. A quote that really resonated with many of us was Amanda's words: “You say that we students are the future workforce and that it is we who will ensure that person-centred care is applied. For us to be able to do that, we need to have more knowledge and tools from our education.” Amanda's speech aptly summarized the overarching message of the conference. We need to “Advance person-centered approaches in healthcare education” through knowledge, skills, and values shared between educational programs, students, patients, professionals, and different countries.

Our third keynote was Maria J Santa, Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Community Health 91̽��s, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Canada. Her speech was entitled “From Classroom to Community: Strengthening Healthcare Professional Education by Engaging Patients and the Public". She emphasized the importance of integrating community engagement into healthcare education, as this approach aims to enhance the relevance and effectiveness of healthcare education by fostering a deeper understanding of community health needs.

Interdisciplinary international delegates

One of the highlights was that the variety in the conference participants’ background. They came from Asia, Europe, and North America, and consisted of students, patients, professionals, teachers and researcher in the fields of Language Therapy, Medicine, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Psychology, Psychotherapy, Radiography, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Social work, and Nursing. We had two inspiring days filled with discussions and reflections on person-centeredness in higher education. Furthermore, our reflection is that this international crowd indicates the need for a common ground to discuss pedagogical issues in fostering future person-centered health care staff. 

Three conference themes

The first theme "Pedagogical approaches to teaching and learning of person-centredness in healthcare education", contained topics such as “Enhancing antiracism awareness within person-centred care among students in Sweden and the USA - an International Learning Initiative” and “Learning Person-Centred Communication Using the Four Habits Model for Midwifery Students at the University of Stavanger, Norway” were discussed. 

In the second theme, "Creating compassionate learning environments for students in healthcare education", participants were invited to discussions on “Sharing the human behind the professional: How can Schwartz Rounds be utilised in healthcare education to prepare students for the emotional impact of their future roles and strengthen their ability to provide person-centred care?” and “Embedding Compassion in Counselling Curriculum: An Experiential Learning Approach”. 

Finally, in the theme “Translating the theory of person-centredness into practice: From university learning to clinical practice”, topics such as “From Ethics to Practice: Person-Centred Virtual Patient Cases in Clinical Education” and “Simulating Existential Conversations in Palliative Care Using AI for Undergraduate and Advanced Level Nursing Students” were discussed.

Next steps

• We have a designated networking space on the GPCC website, with access to a LinkedIn group: Learning Related to Person-Centered Care in Health 91̽�� Education Programs.
• We will summarise the conference and publish all abstracts and reflections in the “Gothenburg Series in Person-Centred Care”. The Acta series at the University 91̽�� is a publication series used to disseminate research findings and other scholarly works.
• We will also offer digital lunch seminars during 2025, so stay tuned to our networking space mentioned above!

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee, opening speakers, keynote speakers, moderators, and facilitators, as well as all participants for a well-executed conference. I would also like to show gratitude our to sponsors, 91̽�� Centre for Person-Centered Care, and donors Ulrik Fallström, Annie Jonnergård, Joakim Åkerman, and Madeleine Gustafsson.

Best wishes,  
Catarina Wallengren 
Chair of the organizing committee LearnPCC
RN, RNT, PhD, Associate Professor, Institution of Health Care 91̽��s, Sahlgrenska Academy, University 91̽�� and 91̽�� Centre for Person-centred Care (GPCC), Sahlgrenska Academy, University 91̽��, Sweden.

Conference awards

Further highlights of the conference included Diane Slater, a Physiotherapist, receiving the award for best poster titled “A preliminary person-centred curriculum for an e-learning programme to support physiotherapists in delivering person-centred care”, while nursing student Anna Ramstedt won the award for best image, explaining that for her, PCC is: “There are many words teachers teach us to academically represent PCC. Are those words, theories and models what defines the heartfelt meeting between me and a patient?”