Building a primary care discipline: Notes from a psychologist in family medicine

Psychologists of a variety of emphases have actively participated in the growth of family medicine as an academic discipline. Rather than simply collaborate, they have shaped the very nature of the field. This paper describes a number of contributions from psychologists in family systems and educational arenas. In particular, physician-psychologist collaborative work is highlighted.     

The anthropological tradition in the philosophy of medicine

The tradition of anthropological medicine in philosophy of medicine is analyzed in relation to the earlier interest in epistemological issues in medicine around the turn of the century as well as to the current interest in medical ethics. It is argued that there is a continuity between epistemological, anthropological and ethical approaches in philosophy of medicine. Three basic ideas of anthropologically-oriented medicine are discussed: the rejection of Cartesian dualism, the notion of medicine as science of the human person, and the necessity of a comprehensive understanding of disease. Next, it is discussed why the anthropological movement has been superseded by the increasing interest in medical ethics. It is concluded that the present-day moral issues cannot be interpreted and resolved without clarification of the underlying anthropological images.     

OPERANT TREATMENT OF OROFACIAL DYSFUNCTION IN NEUROMUSCULAR DISORDERS

The popularity and reported success of biofeedback treatment for neuromuscular disorders has occurred despite a lack of research identifying the critical variables responsible for therapeutic gain. In this study, we assessed the degree to which severe neurological dysfunction could be improved by using one of the components present in all biofeedback treatment, contingency management. Three cases of orofacial dysfunction were treated by reinforcing specific improvements reliably detectable without the use of biofeedback equipment. The results showed that contingency management procedures alone were sufficient to improve overt motor responses but, unlike biofeedback treatment, did not produce decreases in the hypertonic muscle groups associated with the trained motor behavior. The findings suggest that sophisticated, expensive biofeedback equipment may not be necessary in treating some neuromuscular disorders and that important clinical gains may be achieved by redesigning the patient's daily environment to be contingently therapeutic, rather than only accommodating the disabilities of the physically handicapped.     

BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT OF CHRONIC FOOD REFUSAL IN HANDICAPPED CHILDREN

In this study, we examined the eating behavior of four handicapped children, none of whom exhibited self-feeding skills. All children had a history of food refusal and were nutritionally at risk; one child received all nourishment by way of a gastrostomy tube. Baseline data taken during mealtimes indicated that all children accepted very little food, expelled food frequently, and engaged in a number of disruptive behaviors. Treatments consisted of one or more of the following contingent events: social praise, access to preferred foods, brief periods of toy play, and forced feeding. Results of multiple-baseline and reversal designs showed marked behavioral improvement for each child and increases in the amount of food consumed. Further improvements were noted at follow-up, which ranged from 7 to 30 months posttreatment.     

微创体系中人文思想的探索

医学人文学是发展现代医学的一项重要内容.从微创医学体系中的人文思想、探索微创人文思想的意义、实现微创医学过程中的微创人文思想三个方面对建立在现代医学模式基础上的微创医学体系发展中的有关人文思想进行了系统的探索,以揭示微创医学体系中人文思想的意义和价值,同时强调其在医疗实践中的实际应用.     

走进病人的真实世界:一场临床思维的革命——读“临床判断:基于病人的真实世界”有感

真实世界理论对医学、生命、疾病的认识,不只限于细胞、分子等微观层次,而是回到人的整体和病人的真实世界。病人的真实世界包括疾病所引起病人主观上的不良感受和客观病态改变,不断探索病人全部的真实世界是生物心理社会模式的体现;大型仪器和检查是病人局部的真实世界,关注病人感受可以便捷、高效扩展医生的横向思维,实现临床医学科学与非科学的统一。有效的医患沟通是进入病人真实世界的唯一途径,能够更多获得病人信息,提高诊疗水平,是医学人文与医疗技术的有机融合;通过不断探索病人的真实世界,可以为病人的叙事奠定基础。     

体验病人痛苦:医学力量的源泉

通过对两个叙事医学案例的详细分析试图表明,叙事医学兼具理论与实践的双重特性,它所企图构建的“医患共同体”不仅可以通过促进医患沟通而使患者在当下获得更有尊严、更高质量的医疗服务,在更深意义上,它可以帮助医者“看见真实之人:从恻隐之心到相互成就”、“看见平等之人:从视域融合到人格认同”。通过体验病人的痛苦从而超越技术主义与“知识-权力”的认知局限,弥合医患分裂,提升甚至成就医者自身,推动实现医学的至高价值。     

浅谈道术、医学以及医学教育

介绍了东西方文化中“道”的观念。总结了“道”包含的一些思想哲理,如“道”包含的仁爱的含义,“道”的善的动机,“道”的规律性,“道”与“术”的比较。据此,对当今医学及医学教育诸问题进行反思,指出医学不是一门单纯的技术和科学,医学工作者要有相应的职业道德标准,“整合医学模式”是符合当今国际医学发展的医学模式,医学教育中存在“教育技术化”倾向,分析了医学教学中“重术轻道”思想。从“道”的整体观看整合医学的哲学依据,能够站在一个更高和更广阔的视域看待医学问题,为医学改革提供有益参考。     

奥斯勒的生命书写及其叙事意义

叙事具有强大的人文和人际功能,它能促使主体之间更有效地实现认知上的共识。居丧者的哀伤历程和罹患疾病的患者接受自己生病身份的过程是一个需要通过见证、续写或改写故事来重构人生意义的过程。从奥斯勒创设天堂来信帮助作为居丧者和患者的妻子格蕾丝克服心身疾痛这个故事,发现叙事素养能够帮助临床语境下的多方主体之间构建“同声相应,同气相求”的生命共同体关系。从叙事医学的角度而言,医学是一门综合性的艺术。在“医学是不确定的科学与可能性的艺术”的基础上,医学实践可以理解为需要科学技术知识和叙事人文素养合力的“应用型科学和关系性艺术”。