OBJECTIVES: In today’s health care arena, the term “patient-centered” is typically used to describe either: 1) the engagement of patients in managing their health or 2) the measurement of patient-reported outcomes (PROs). The objective of this study was to explore the evolution of the patient-centered concept as reported in the scientific literature. METHODS: We searched EMBASE for articles written in English between 1950-2013 with ‘patient-centered’ in the title or abstract. We examined trends in the concept’s use over time by graphing the number of publications by year.  We selected a random sample of 10 articles within each decade and captured data on the context (engagement or measurement) and the focus of the article (healthcare, research, or teaching).  RESULTS: Our search identified 5051 publications from 1966-2013. We found a steep increase in the term’s use in recent decades. In the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s, <50 articles were identified per decade. The number increased to >350 in the 90s, >1550 in the 2000s and >3000 in the 2010s. The vast majority (>80%) of publications from the 1960s-2009 focused on patient engagement. However, from 2010-2013, the focus was equally split between engagement and measurement of PROs. From 1966-2013, articles reporting original research increased from 17% to 90%. In early decades, qualitative research proliferated, whereas research since 2010 employed more quantitative epidemiological methods. There was also a notable shift from a single-disciplinary approach in the early decades to a multidisciplinary approach in the later decades. CONCLUSIONS: Since its introduction in scientific literature, the term patient-centered has flourished, with tremendous increases noted in the last decade. The concept has evolved from purely patient engagement to encompass both engagement and measurement of PROs and from qualitative to more rigorous scientific methods. These findings are congruent with the current personalized-medicine approach that characterizes the healthcare industry today.