Patient care can simply be defined as all the practices involved in the prevention and treatment of ailments with the aim of preserving the physical and mental well-being of sick or aged people. Patient care is usually provided by medical and health care professionals.

However, the 21st century has plunged all aspects of health care into a modernization era that relies heavily on advances in medical technology and in computerization. The upside of these developments has been seen in the great strides being made in quicker and more accurate diagnosis and treatment of many ailments. The changes have, on the downside, led to a depersonalization in many aspects of patient care. It is not quite uncommon for patients nowadays to be treated as diseases or simply as numbers. Patients are now referred to as ‘the diabetes in room 112’ or ‘the COPDer in 245’. Hardly are patients asked for a history of their conditions because taking them through a series of tests seems more accurate and the fear of a lawsuit due to a wrong diagnosis makes the tests inevitable. The large number of patients in hospitals makes it even more difficult to spend half an hour encouraging a hypertensive 80 year old woman with breathing complications at the expense of other patients.

It is true that there are numerous challenges associated with patient care but we should not lose sight of the fact they are humans in different levels of sickness depending on health care givers for support and guidance besides medical care. It is important to accord them a personalized care despite the imperfect environment that exists in most hospitals. With regard to differences in types of illnesses, gender, age, and social background, every patient deserves to be treated with personalized care. The concern for the humanity of the sick person should be the most important aspect of patient care.