“Same same or different?” A review of reviews of person-centered and patient-centered care

•There are similarities between the concepts of person- and patient-centeredness.•The main goals of the two concepts differ in important ways.•The main goal of patient-centeredness is a functional life for the patient.•The main goal of person-centeredness is a meaningful life for the patient. To provide a synthesis of already synthesized literature on person-centered care and patient-centered care in order to identify similarities and differences between the two concepts. A synthesis of reviews was conducted to locate synthesized literature published between January 2000 and March 2017. A total of 21 articles deemed relevant to this overview were synthesized using a thematic analysis. The analysis resulted in nine themes present in person-centered as well as in patient-centered care: (1) empathy, (2), respect (3), engagement, (4), relationship, (5) communication, (6) shared decision-making, (7) holistic focus, (8), individualized focus, and (9) coordinated care. The analysis also revealed that the goal of person-centered care is a meaningful life while the goal of patient-centered care is a functional life. While there are a number of similarities between the two concepts, the goals for person-centered and patient-centered care differ. The similarities are at the surface and there are important differences when the concepts are regarded in light of their different goals. Clarification of the concepts may assist practitioners to develop the relevant aspects of care. Person-centered care broadens and extends the perspective of patient-centered care by considering the whole life of the patient.