University of Gothenburg
Centre for Person-centred Care - GPCC
  2. Centre for Person-centred Care - GPCC
  3. GPCC’s Strategic Research Lines

GPCC’s Strategic Research Lines

In 2025 GPCC established four strategic research lines that guide our long-term research and collaboration agenda.

1. Precision Health 

We conduct research on precision health, defined as the integration of precision medicine and person-centred care. This research aims to develop more tailored, effective, and equitable approaches to prevention, treatment, and care. 

Several research and innovation projects within GPCC contribute to the development of precision health, where care and treatment are tailored to the individual by early identification of risks and health patterns to enable preventive and early accurate interventions. 

The definition of precision health is based here as: “Precision health provides a framework for identifying predictive biomarkers and early indicators of disease at the individual level, enabling timely interventions to prevent or manage illness more effectively”1. 

Project 

PicPecc and the developed Facial Thermometer focus on children's ability to self-report symptoms using digital and visual tools. By capturing individual expressions of pain and well-being, a more precise basis for assessment and treatment is created. This strengthens the child's participation and enables care tailored to unique biological and psychosocial needs. 

Publication 

1 Nilsson S, Hansson H, Moons P, Onerup A, Saarijärvi M, Sabel M, Bratt EL. Is this the road to health? - the person in precision health. Eur J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2025 Sep 5;24(6):988-995. 

2. Governance 

We conduct research on person-centred governance – that is, how steering mechanisms, organisational structures, leadership and incentive systems can be designed to enable, integrate and scale up person-centred care.  

Our research is grounded in core normative principles of person-centredness – including respect for the person, integrity, informed consent and partnership – and relates these to broader international developments regarding integrated care, patient “rights”, healthcare governance and policy development. 

We study both system-level issues and how decision-making and leadership function in practice, including governance across providers and authorities, quality and knowledge management systems, and economic incentives. Our aim is to demonstrate how norms of person-centredness can not only be articulated, but also translated into structures and processes that promote sustainable, person-centred health and social care in both Swedish and international contexts. 

Projects 

3. Digital Infrastructures 

We investigate the role of digital infrastructures, data, and artificial intelligence in the future of health and care systems, with particular attention to how these technologies can be developed and used in alignment with the ethics and values of person-centred care.

GPCC's work in digital infrastructure is based on a long tradition of research into digital technology and e-health in person-centred care. Today, the area also includes new initiatives in artificial intelligence, med-tech, digital monitoring, remote care, rehabilitation support and co-creating digital platforms.

In common for all these projects is the ambition to develop digital solutions that are not only technically advanced, but also ethically anchored, trustworthy and designed in partnership with patients, relatives and professionals. In this way, GPCC contributes to knowledge about how digitalization and its digital infrastructures can enable the future development of healthcare in a way that is sustainable, equitable and consistently person-centred.

Projects

4. Crisis Situations 

We conduct research on person-centredness and disaster management. Crises challenge the normal functions of society and disasters constitute societal-threatening situations where resources are insufficient. Disasters affect us both structurally and individually. Structurally, clear exercise of authority is required that is characterized by the power to act, and individually, strategies are needed that reduce vulnerability, suffering and damage.  

It is a challenge to manage time-critical and societal-threatening events while at the same time taking into account the situation of individuals. We believe that person-centredness is necessary in critical situations. 

We have studied the different strategies used in mass casualty scenarios, they are:  

1. proceduralism, i.e. a depersonalization to favour decision-making ability and rationality 

2. selective survival assessments based on a utilitarian consequentialist mindset and  

3. person-centredness that reduces different choices to the needs and preferences of the individual, where account is taken of abilities, rights and being treated with respect.  

Our results show that experienced disaster medics use all three models but handle encounters with injured people, regardless of the scenario, from a person-centred perspective. When our results are compared with the training provided in the field, we can see that person-centred ethics are missing from the action strategies that are taught.  

Another area we are interested in is society's capacity-building ability in the event of major critical events. Our starting point is that a person-centred approach promotes collaboration across organizational and administrative boundaries, increases the willingness to offer resources that can be deployed where they are needed most, and strengthens the capabilities of the public. 

Publication 

Khorram-Manesh, A., Grey, L., Cocco, A-L., Ranse, J., Goniewic, K., Phattharapornjaroen, P., Nebil, A., Peyravi, M., Hertelendy, A., Kupietz, K., Bergholtz, J & Carlström, E. (2024) Care in Emergencies and Disasters: Can it be Person-Centered? Patient Education and Counseling.  Jan:118:108046.  doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2023.108046. 

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