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“Returning to Holism”: An Imperative for the Twenty-First Century

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The Value of Systems and Complexity Sciences for Healthcare

Abstract

The healthcare system no longer is a unified system, it has disintegrated into ever smaller insular entities controlled by vested interests in specific disease entities and/or treatment approaches. Disease has become the centre of interest, divorced from the person experiencing disease and having to cope with its consequences. It has become an imperative to re-embrace holism as the basis for understanding health, providing health care and organising an effective and efficient healthcare system. This chapter outlines important concepts that are prerequisite to achieving this goal: •Mental models determine how we understand and approach problems •Natural phenomena follow a Pareto (power law) distribution •Natural and social entities show the structure and dynamic function of complex adaptive systems (CAS) •The whole is more and different than the sum of the parts •Health is a dynamic entity defined as a personal adaptive state •The person and his health experience have to be the central focus for all engaged in the health system

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Note the distinction between “health care”, the activity, and “healthcare” the organisational unit.

  2. 2.

    In the case of all things that have several parts and in which the whole is not like a heap, but is a particular something besides the parts, there must be some such uniting factor. [Aristotle. (1952). Metaphysics (R. Hope, Trans.). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press. (Book Eta, 1045a8–10)].

  3. 3.

    The exact quote is: …disease does not exist, only the experience of disease [does].

  4. 4.

    From the Greek bios meaning “life” and semeion meaning “sign”, first used by Friedrich S. Rothschild in 1962.

  5. 5.

    Rudolf Carl Virchow (1821–1902) was a German doctor, anthropologist, pathologist, pre-historian, biologist, writer, editor, and politician, known for his advancement of public health. He is known as “the father of modern pathology” because his work helped to discredit humorism, bringing more science to medicine. He is also considered one of the founders of social medicine.

  6. 6.

    My addition.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Practice, School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, 3010, Wamberal, NSW, 2250, Australia

    Joachim P. Sturmberg

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  1. Department of General Practice, Newcastle University, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia

    Joachim P. Sturmberg

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Sturmberg, J.P. (2016). “Returning to Holism”: An Imperative for the Twenty-First Century. In: Sturmberg, J. (eds) The Value of Systems and Complexity Sciences for Healthcare. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26221-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-26221-5_1

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