Is there a place for a holistic approach in surgical training?

The holistic approach in medicine is a framework that considers and treats all aspects of a patient's needs, as it relates to their health. The goal of such an approach is to prevent illness, and to maximise the well-being of individuals and families. Holistic medicine is also referred to as integrative, which has been interpreted by some professionals as the combination of evidence-based medicine and complementary medicine.

The speciality of Family Medicine (FM) is often referred to as General Practice (GP), a terminology which emphasises the holistic nature of that discipline. Furthermore, GP/FM professional bodies in some countries have incorporated the holistic and integrative approach into curricula and guidelines for doctors in training, which reflects its acceptance as a component of medical training. However, despite this validation, and despite research showing the effectiveness of such strategies in enhancing the outcomes of surgery, a holistic framework or integrative approach has not been equally integrated into speciality training for would-be surgeons.

We argue that it would be advisable to include holistic approaches into surgical training and help surgeons to recognise their role in the continuum of care.