Holism in Osteopathy – Bridging the gap between concept and practice: A grounded theory study

A Theoretical Framework of Holism in Healthcare

“…This creates an awareness of the total pattern of dysfunction within the whole person. A key clue was "dysfunction" with compensatory areas and tissues adapting (and which may be symptomatic) but may not, in themselves, be dysfunctional [1].…”

“…Subjective responses concerning pain reported by the patients (which shift emphasis away from the responses in tissues) were secondary to the objective responses indicated by the tissues. It could be argued that improving function ultimately may help relieve pain but relieving pain did not necessarily improve function [1].…”

“…Research by this author [1] suggests that the more inclusive the definition of holism (of components involved and relationships considered) the boarder and more inclusive is the practice. If for example, a practitioner includes only the whole musculoskeletal system in their concept of holism and scope of practice, then they are likely to assess and treat only the musculoskeletal system.…”

“…A recent grounded theory study by the current author explored this question, interviewing experienced Osteopathic practitioners about their views of holism, how it was implemented and its relationship with biomedical education and practice [1]. Readers should refer to the original research article titled "Holism in Osteopathy -Bridging the gap between concept and practice: A grounded theory study, for the full methodology and results.…”

“…The viewpoints of professional participants were that both of these relationships were important for helping to improve health care outcomes [1].…”