Putting health back into the healthcare system
pp. 1-8
in: Joachim P. Sturmberg (ed), Putting systems and complexity sciences into practice, Berlin, Springer, 2018Abstract
Currently, health systems are predominantly focused on disease, i.e. "non-health". Thus, prevailing health systems are more aptly described as "disease management systems". Viewed from a complex adaptive system perspective, the shift in focus on disease has left its mark; it detracted from the person experiencing the disease, something recognised early on by eminent clinicians, researchers and philosophers.This chapter argues that we need to put health—defined as a personal experiential state—back at the center to achieve a seamlessly integrated health system. The health vortex model offers a tangible framework to guide the redesign of health systems that make health the driver in the pursuit of achieving highly integrated, constantly adapting health systems that meet the needs of the person/patient.