z.3.x.4 Clinical practice
It is important to realize that the answers to these questions determine, however in a hidden and often unconscious way, if and how one treats his or her patients and the sort of medicine one advocates.
How?
- The purposes of treatment; are we talking about criteria like mortality, morbidity alone, do we use quality of life as outcome parameter and even broader things as personal growth (like in paediatrics) and social participation (like in rehabilitation medicine)?
- The organisation of health care; how do keep health care affordable? How do we make it effective, not only in terms of short term symptom relieve but in terms of durable solutions? Why do we have hospitals, policlinics, General Practices etc? Why do we discriminate somatic from mental health care?
- The disciplines involved; which discipline(s) is or are competent and skilled to do the job? How can these disciplines join forces?
- The roles of health care professionals; which roles does the expert integrates in his or her professional acting.