Philosophy of Healthcare for Women

Introduction

Philosophy is a fundamental study that deals with the broad questions of the meaning of life and the purpose of human existence. It can be applied to and answer essential questions concerning various spheres of human activity, for instance, politics, education, ethics, and healthcare. However, the healthcare complex, established around high-quality care delivery, “seems to be inadequate for changing healthcare demands of the increasing number of chronically ill and aging patients” (Malik et al., 2018, p. 1). That is why to adhere to the growing demands; it is necessary to research healthcare from the philosophical perspective and understand the processes and ethics involved. Thus, this paper will discuss three concepts related to the philosophy of healthcare for women and address how each of those approaches is central to a personal healthcare philosophy.

The Concept of Holistic Healthcare

Holistic healthcare is one of the most vital approaches to wellness maintenance that can even be described as a specific way of life since it focuses on many details at the same time. Rather than curing a particular illness, the holistic approach focuses on an individual and their relationship with the surrounding world. As mentioned by Malik et al. (2018), “the holistic concept shifts the traditional and principally biomedical focused care towards a model with greater emphasis on five other dimensions of life” (p. 1). These five aspects include social, spiritual, and psychological well-being; daily performance; and quality of life (Malik et al., 2018). Besides, Malik et al. indicated that changes in the healthcare system have already been created for the implementation of holistic care. Therefore, it can be concluded that holistic healthcare experts believe that illnesses or health issues cannot be separated from an individual and their general quality of life. Health should be understood as an interconnection of different variables, which all contribute to one’s well-being.

The Concept of Family-Centered Care

The family-centered care approach supposes that every family is unique and is central in determining the well-being of children. It is believed that parental involvement is one of the essential factors when talking about maternal satisfaction and the overall health state of children (Bastani et al., 2015). The study, conducted by Bastini et al. (2015), concluded that parental satisfaction significantly increased after mothers participated in the health treatment of their children. Consequently, the results of the study proved that mothers play a huge role in controlling the treatment process and the emergence of illnesses in general. At the same time, family-centered care helps children to feel secure and improves the overall quality of their treatment. Hence, the concept of family-centered care is vital for understanding family as an integral part of a child’s health condition.

The Concept of Patient Education

Patient education is considered to be another critical concept of healthcare since it enables patients to advance their health by gaining knowledge and interacting with professionals. In recent years, there has been a considerable shift within the healthcare system, moving from a belief that the only function of doctors is to cure their patients (Zangi et al., 2015). Nowadays, it is believed that that patients are “active agents in managing their illness and own healthcare” through the principle of “shared knowledge” with health professionals (Zangi et al., 2015, p. 954). Moreover, it is accepted that patients should be able to make healthcare decisions in cooperation with doctors while relying on recent scientific evidence and their preferences and values (Zangi et al., 2015). Patient education gives individuals a chance to manage their diseases, maintain a desired quality of life, and adjust to specific conditions.

Relation of Concepts to Personal Healthcare Philosophy

Each of the three concepts mentioned earlier can be applied as central to personal healthcare philosophy and be used in daily practice. With the help of each idea, health can be understood as the foundation for a happy life of a woman. Holistic healthcare encourages people to realize that the well-being of a person should be understood as a combination of various dimensions rather than just the absence of illnesses. It helps to pay more attention to spiritual, mental, and psychological conditions in daily life. At the same time, family-centered care emphasizes that family highly contributes to the health condition of a person and inspires them to pay more attention to the role of siblings in everyday experience. Finally, patient education is central in the sense that it educates and gives a choice to act according to personal values when it comes to health. All three concepts stimulate women to deepen their knowledge and understand healthcare as a philosophy.

Conclusion

To summarize, philosophy appears to be essential in understanding healthcare, its practices, and ethics. It puts an individual at the center of determining their overall well-being and encourages them to take part in health treatment. By identifying the concepts of healthcare philosophy, women can learn to pay more attention to their spiritual state, the role of family, and the importance of health education. Therefore, the presented paper explored three concepts of healthcare for women and explained how each of them could be applied to daily life.

References

Bastani, F., Abadi, T. A., & Haghani, H. (2015). Effect of family-centered care on improving parental satisfaction and reducing readmission among premature infants: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of clinical and diagnostic research: JCDR, 9(1), SC04-SC08. Web.

Malik, R. F., Hilders, C. G., & Scheele, F. (2018). Do ‘physicians in the lead’ support a holistic healthcare delivery approach? A qualitative analysis of stakeholders’ perspectives. BMJ open, 8(7), e020739. Web.

Zangi, H. A., Ndosi, M., Adams, J., Andersen, L., Bode, C., Boström, C., van Eijk-Hustings, Y., Gossec, L., Korandová, J., Mendes, G., Niedermann, K., Primdahl, J., Stoffer, M., Voshaar, M., & van Tubergen, A. (2015). EULAR recommendations for patient education for people with inflammatory arthritis. Annals of the rheumatic diseases, 74(6), 954-962.