Discrepancies between primary care patients’ and professionals’ perceptions of person-centered care and shared decision-making: A cross-sectional study

Background Person-centered care (PCC) and shared decision-making (SDM) are key components of high-quality primary care, yet professionals and patients often perceive them differently. Understanding these discrepancies is essential to improve communication and chronic care management. This study examines the agreement between patients’ and healthcare professionals’ assessments of PCC and SDM in routine primary care. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study in primary care involving healthcare professionals and their patients with chronic conditions. Participants completed validated PCC and SDM questionnaires. Paired comparisons, correlation analyses, and multilevel models were used to assess discrepancies between professionals’ self-ratings and patients’ evaluations. Results Physicians scored significantly higher than patients on both the PACIC (and all of its subscales) and the SDM questionnaires. Patients show very low scores on both instruments. There were no significant correlations between HCPs’ scores and the mean of their attended patients, with most values near to zero. The only significant predictors of greater discrepancy were professional female gender (for the PACIC, only in the univariate analysis), lower education level (for the SDM-Q-9) and older patients’ age (for both). Conclusion There is a significant gap between professionals and patients’ perceptions of PCC and SDM, showing null correlations between them and consistently higher scores for professionals, and this discrepancy is significantly greater for older and less-educated patients. More research is needed to explore the source of these discrepancies and to develop interventions targeting alignment of perspectives. Efforts to improve care should prioritize patient empowerment and equity to align experiences, enhance satisfaction and ensure fair, sustainable chronic care.