Abstract
Individuality plays a central role in human existence. Its realisation varies greatly in different historical times and places. In modern societies it can often be under threat, under the influence of mass media and mass production, but its importance is recognised, and there have been constant efforts to enhance it. In health services, holistic care for individual patients has become a milestone goal. Individualised care can improve patient outcomes in an ethical and respectful way. Despite the difficulties posed by modern health-care delivery, an increasing number of studies ascertain the importance of individualised care. Based on the existing evidence, various health-care organisations recognise the need to enhance individualised care and implement various initiatives to do so. However, various economic constraints do not allow for wide implementation of individualised health interventions. Technological progress provides more opportunities than ever for individualised care, but limited health resources set a series of obstacles for its delivery. Further research in this field shall help towards embodying the best affordable individualised care in modern health delivery.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Alexander R. The evolution of social behavior. Annu Rev Ecol Evol Syst. 1974;5:325–83.
Lear J. Inside and outside the Republic. Phronesis. 1992;37(2):184–215.
Aristotle. In: Rowe C, editor. Nicomachean ethics (trans.). New York: Oxford University Press; 2002.
Smith ND. Aristotle’s theory of natural slavery. Phoenix. 1983;37(2):109–22.
Barrett M. The duty of a Pastor: John Owen on feeding the flock by diligent preaching of the word. Themelios. 2015;40(3):459–72.
Nozick R. Anarchy, state and utopia. New York: Basic Books; 1974.
Hampton J. Hobbes and the social contract tradition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1986.
Lamprecht SP. The fable of the bees. J Philos. 1926;23(21):561–79.
Smith A. An inquiry into the nature and causes of the wealth of nations. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 1976.
Sartre JP. Existentialism and humanism (trans. Mairet P). In: Priest S, editor. Jean-Paul Sartre: basic writings. London: Routledge; 2001.
Keijzer N. Military obedience. Alphen aan den Rijn: Sijthoff & Noordhoff; 1978.
Mommsen W. The age of bureaucracy: perspectives on the political sociology of Max Weber. Oxford: Basil Blackwell; 1974.
Nagel T. The possibility of altruism. Princeton: Princeton University Press; 2012.
Kleisiaris CF, Sfakianakis C, Papathanasiou IV. Health care practices in ancient Greece: the Hippocratic ideal. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2014;7:6.
Greaves D. The healing tradition: reviving the soul of western medicine. Oxford: Radcliffe; 2004.
Jackson WA. A short guide to humoral medicine. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2001;22(9):487–9.
Srinivasan M. From the editors’ desk: Hippocrates and patient-centered medicine. J Gen Intern Med. 2012;27(2):135.
ANA. Code of ethics for nurses with interpretive statements. Silver Spring: American Nurses Association; 2015.
NMC. The code: professionals standards of practice and behaviour for nurses and midwives. London: Nursing and Midwifery Council; 2015.
Mahlin M. Individual patient advocacy, collective responsibility and activism within professional nursing associations. Nurs Ethics. 2010;17(2):247–54.
Suhonen R, Välimäki M, Katajisto J, Leino-Kilpi H. Provision of individualised care improves hospital patient outcomes: an explanatory model using LISREL. Int J Nurs Stud. 2007;44(2):197–207.
Futier E, Lefrant JY, Guinot PG, et al. Effect of individualized vs standard blood pressure management strategies on postoperative organ dysfunction among high-risk patients undergoing major surgery: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 2017;318(14):1346–57.
Redfern S. Individualised patient care: its meaning and practice in a general setting. NT Res. 1996;1(1):22–33.
NCGC. Patient experience in adult NHS services: improving the experience of care for people using adult NHS services. London: Royal College of Physicians; 2012.
Zangi HA, Ndosi M, Adams J, et al. EULAR recommendations for patient education for people with inflammatory arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2015;74:954–62.
Daniels Ν. Just health care. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press; 1985.
McCabe C, Claxton K, Culyer AJ. The NICE cost-effectiveness threshold: what it is and what that means. PharmacoEconomics. 2008;26(9):733–44.
Minogue B. The two fundamental duties of the physician. Acad Med. 2000;75(5):431–42.
Waymack M. Health care as business: the ethic of Hippocrates versus the ethic of managed care. Bus Prof Ethics J. 1990;9:69–78.
Morrow T. Novartis’s Kymriah: harnessing immune system comes with worry about reining in costs. Manag Care. 2017;26(10):28–30.
Helman CG. Culture, health and illness. 4th ed. Oxford: Reed Educational and Professional; 2000.
Volpe RL, Mohammed S, Hopkins M, et al. The negative impact of organizational cynicism on physicians and nurses. Health Care Manag. 2014;33(4):276–88.
Ward J, Cody J, Schaal M, Hojat M. The empathy enigma: an empirical study of decline in empathy among undergraduate nursing students. J Prof Nurs. 2012;28(1):34–40.
Illich I. Limits to medicine. Medical nemesis: the expropriation of health. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books; 1990.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Igoumenidis, M., Papastavrou, E., Lemonidou, C. (2019). Theoretical and Philosophical Framework for Individualised Care. In: Suhonen, R., Stolt, M., Papastavrou, E. (eds) Individualized Care. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89899-5_2
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89899-5_2
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-89898-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-89899-5
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)