​If quality and safety improvement are all about the patient, why is there a growing and influential "patient-centered care movement"? Is it because 20 years of quality and safety improvements have been successful, or is there another reason? Is it only about health care or is there a public health and health policy aspect?

In the first Center seminar of 2014, Dr. John Øvretveit, director of research and professor of health care innovation implementation and evaluation at the Medical Management Centre at The Karolinska Institute, considers the meaning of "patient-centered care" and the international movement, and provides examples of some of the ideas and evidence of impact. His presentation also outlines the future implications for patients, researchers and health care workers.