Multimorbidity, P4 medicine and holism

Area of Science:

• Healthcare delivery
• Medical philosophy
• Systems medicine

Background:

• Multimorbidity presents significant challenges to effective patient care.
• The P4 (Predictive, Preventive, Personalized, Participatory) medicine model, grounded in a holistic approach, has been proposed to address these challenges.
• Critically examining existing models is essential for advancing healthcare.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically evaluate Sturmberg et al.'s P4 medicine model and its holistic underpinnings.
• To propose an alternative strategy for framing P4 medicine for improved healthcare outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual analysis of the P4 model and holistic approach.
• Examination of different philosophical concepts of holism.
• Comparison of biomedical and humanistic perspectives in healthcare strategy.

Main Results:

• A humanistic approach accentuating personalized and participatory aspects is more effective for P4 medicine than a biomedical one.
• The proposed strategy utilizes phenomenological holism, incorporating illness experience and top-down causation.
• This contrasts with technoscientific holism, which focuses on mechanisms and bottom-up causation.

Conclusions:

• Sturmberg et al.'s P4 medicine and holistic approach proposal is a positive step towards managing multimorbidity.
• Achieving the goals of P4 medicine requires an alternative strategy and a more comprehensive understanding of holism.
• Integrating patient experience and humanistic principles is crucial for effective P4 medicine.