In a recent article published in Humanizar, a journal specialising in healthcare, Dr Ruiz argues for a healthcare model based on integrating high-quality clinical practice with a relationship of personal empathy between healthcare professionals and patients. “It is not only about providing information and offering the best possible treatment; it is about listening to patients and accompanying them throughout their entire journey through illness,” emphasises Dr Ruiz.

This model, known as the affective–effective model, was developed by Dr Albert J. Jovell, founder of the University Institute for Patient Care at UIC Barcelona. It highlights the need to bring together two essential dimensions of medical practice: on the one hand, effectiveness, linked to scientific knowledge, quality of care and health outcomes; and on the other, affectivity, which incorporates values such as empathy, communication, trust and respect for human dignity.

Dr Ruiz, who also directs the University Master’s Degree in Healthcare Management and the Healthcare Management and Health Policy Chair at UIC Barcelona, points out that the challenge facing today’s healthcare systems is not only to train highly competent professionals, but also professionals capable of delivering person-centred care by integrating the human dimension throughout the entire care process.

Longevity and the need for comprehensive care

The humanisation of healthcare takes on even greater significance in the current context, marked by an increasingly ageing society and the associated rise in chronic conditions, dependency and vulnerability among older people. Providing care within this framework requires balancing cure or symptom control with an approach that also addresses the emotional, social and spiritual dimensions of each individual.

In this respect, the model emphasises the importance of fostering a healthcare culture grounded in values such as ethics, responsibility, equity and quality of care. It also underlines that innovation in healthcare must go beyond technological advances and incorporate new ways of understanding and delivering care. “The quality of healthcare is not measured solely in terms of clinical outcomes, but also in the ability to accompany patients from a human perspective,” stresses Dr Boi Ruiz.

Through this distinctive approach, UIC Barcelona reaffirms its commitment to education and research in the field of health that combine scientific rigour with a humanistic vision, contributing to the advancement of a healthcare model that is more efficient, more approachable and firmly centred on the person.