Patient-centered care aims to improve which aspect of patients' experiences?

Patient-centered care is fundamentally designed to enhance patient outcomes by focusing on the individual needs, preferences, and values of patients. This approach involves actively involving patients in their own care, ensuring that they receive tailored treatment options, and prioritizing their health goals. By placing patients at the center of the healthcare experience, the goal is to not only ensure that they feel respected and understood but also to improve clinical results such as recovery rates, management of chronic conditions, and overall satisfaction with their healthcare.

In this context, the other options do not align with the primary aim of patient-centered care. Intelligence, although valuable in a healthcare setting, does not directly correlate to the patient's experience or outcomes. Willingness to pay reflects economic aspects but does not contribute to the quality of care and outcomes. Friendliness, while important for patient interactions, is just one element of a much broader strategy focused on improving health outcomes through a tailored patient experience. Thus, the emphasis on outcomes encompasses all of these aspects while prioritizing what ultimately matters most to patients.