A Paradigm of Integrative Care: Healing with Curing Throughout Life, “Being with” and “Doing to”

Abstract

We are presenting an integrative paradigm of care. We will review the basis for its evolution from prior series and parallel models. In this paradigm, healing and palliation (when indicated) are introduced in parallel with curative measures as soon as any diagnosis, especially a critical one, is made. Frequently palliative measures address patient symptoms, such as pain, anxiety, delirium, or depression, and are geared towards comfort care at the end of life. Our view of healing care is that it actively addresses the cognitive, emotional and spiritual needs of the patient and family, and includes the elements of palliative care as a complement. Because a loss is often experienced in many conditions, even in the absence of death, bereavement is represented in our model as an ongoing, continual process throughout a disease process. While we will be drawing mainly from experiences with children, the proposed model is applicable to all ages. In order to implement this model most effectively, it will be important to shift from our mindset of “doing to” to one that includes “being with” our patients and their families. The uniqueness of this paradigm, in contrast to other models, is its comprehensiveness and universality. It is appropriate for patients of any age, at any stage of their disease or illness, regardless of the severity or duration of their condition.