Document Type
Poster Session
Faculty Mentor
Lisa Hibl, PhD, MFA
Abstract
While holistic medicine is the focus of current textbooks and guidelines for providing care and is being universally recognized in modern-day practice, it is not a new concept. The practice of holistic medicine looks at the patient as more than the identified problem and treats the human body as a machine with many parts that all work together for optimal functioning, so all aspects of the person —physical, psychological, and social—are taken into account. The roots of holistic medicine extend back to Hippocrates —the Father of Medicine—and continue through the modern time, following the advances of Florence Nightingale, the first recognized nurse. Through a review of historical practices, medical personnel, and current research studies and practice, this project provides a descriptive timeline of holistic medicine, starting with the Greeks and leading to its importance worldwide in the twenty-first century. The immense impact of medicine —good or bad—magnifies the need for both care-givers and care-receivers to understand where current practice originates. To further understand the impact of today’s medical care, we must understand history, current evidence-based practice, and the gaps where further research is needed. The gaps are evident in this review, with the most prevalent being the need for modern-day studies, both qualitative and quantitative, in the United States examining the effects of implementing modern-day holistic practice.
Open Access?
1
Examining Holistic Care: From Early Medicine to Modern Practice
While holistic medicine is the focus of current textbooks and guidelines for providing care and is being universally recognized in modern-day practice, it is not a new concept. The practice of holistic medicine looks at the patient as more than the identified problem and treats the human body as a machine with many parts that all work together for optimal functioning, so all aspects of the person —physical, psychological, and social—are taken into account. The roots of holistic medicine extend back to Hippocrates —the Father of Medicine—and continue through the modern time, following the advances of Florence Nightingale, the first recognized nurse. Through a review of historical practices, medical personnel, and current research studies and practice, this project provides a descriptive timeline of holistic medicine, starting with the Greeks and leading to its importance worldwide in the twenty-first century. The immense impact of medicine —good or bad—magnifies the need for both care-givers and care-receivers to understand where current practice originates. To further understand the impact of today’s medical care, we must understand history, current evidence-based practice, and the gaps where further research is needed. The gaps are evident in this review, with the most prevalent being the need for modern-day studies, both qualitative and quantitative, in the United States examining the effects of implementing modern-day holistic practice.
