`Bridging the Gap': A Directed Content-Analysis Evaluating Regulatory Guidance for Education in Person Centred Care for Heatlhcare-Professional Students

Background: Person-centred care (PCC) is a values-based approach which is central in international and Irish healthcare-policy due to its association with improved health and social outcomes. Research indicates that healthcare-professional (HCP) students struggle to implement PCC, prompting calls for education in PCC. While HCP registration boards play a key governance role in professional HCP education, it is unclear whether or how they support education in PCC. Objective: To evaluate whether medical, nursing and HCP registration boards in Ireland promote PCC within standards for professional education and competence. Methods: Directed content-analysis was conducted with 33 publicly available regulatory documents governing pre-registration university programmes across 13 healthcare-professions in Ireland. Documents were sourced from the Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland, and CORU. HCP registration board-membership was examined to establish evidence of patient representation in line with PCC principles. Results: PCC was neither systematically nor explicitly integrated in HCP regulatory documentation. Only one of 13 HCP registration boards referenced PCC, compared with 12 of 13 referencing evidence-based practice. No PCC frameworks were included, and fewer than 40% of boards endorsed most core PCC activities. A review of regulatory board-member profiles found no board-members with explicit patient experience. Conclusions: A lack of strategic regulatory support for education in PCC risks leaving HCP students unprepared for practice. To support PCC policy implementation and improve health outcomes, HCP registration boards should actively endorse education in PCC, provide operational guidance for educators, and require patient participation in governance.