(Integrated, Progressive, Amazing)
By Janet Izzo, RN
What would the country doctors of yesteryear say if they could see us now? Would those old time heroes who drove horse and buggy (over hill and dale) to visit their patients be amazed at our progress? I think they would. And rightly so!The antiquated home remedies of the nineteenth century are now passé’. We laugh when we hear stories of the concoctions, the treatments and the horrific surgeries performed on our ancestors. It’s a wonder anyone lived to talk about it and yet, they did.
Integrated Health Care
One hundred years ago, no one could have imagined that integrated health in the twenty first century would not only involve nurses and physicians, but would also include specialties like respiratory therapy, physical therapy and occupational therapy. Our highly developed system now incorporates chiropractic medicine and the philosophies of Eastern medicine. Meditation, Yoga, and acupuncture are practiced by hundreds of thousands of people. Hypnosis and the use of vitamins and herbal therapies are quickly becoming popular as well.
The World Health Organization defines our present system of patient care as “the management and delivery of health services so that clients receive a continuum of preventive and curative services, according to their needs over time and across different levels of the healthcare system.” What a mouthful and yet, it defines our health care system today …to a tea!
We are finally becoming cognizant of the fact there are many roads which lead to health and well being. There is no longer just one way of providing patient care. We must be open to other therapies, other ideas and other opinions. No longer can a doctor …even one who has specialized in a particular field of medicine …be the one and only clinician involved in patient care. We are too smart for that now.
We have traveled far to arrive at our present day integrated health care system. We have made great strides; never before in the history of medicine have so many options been available for people. And it is only the beginning! As the poet, Robert Frost penned, “We have miles to go before we sleep…and miles to go before we sleep.”
Would those practitioners of years gone by be proud of us today? Would they give us a “thumbs up” if they could observe the unparalleled teamwork now associated with patient care? I think they would. How could they not? It is integrated, progressive and totally amazing!
About the Author…
Janet Izzo is a registered nurse in the State of Minnesota, an author and inspirational speaker. She speaks to for nurses, nursing students and other health care workers across the nation. Her book, Hotel Hennepin, chronicles experiences working as a staff and charge nurse in a large county hospital. The stories are poignant, sad and hysterically funny …but all are true! You are invited to visit her website at www.janetizzo.com. Hotel Hennepin is available in all major book stores or from either of the links below!
For large orders (colleges, nursing schools, book stores) please contact Janet directly through her website.
Paperback
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