A Holistic Approach to Ambulatory Care

It is apparent that treatment with pharmaceutical drugs is not always the preference of the patient. In order for the delivery of care to be patient centered, a holistic approach to care needs to be a standard in ambulatory care. This change would enable the assurance that patients are presented with all options available and enable them to take control of their health.

The Journal of Dietary Supplements discusses the increased use of “Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM)” and how it is becoming a need among physicians to educate and train themselves so that the idea of Integrative Medicine is a realization to the public (Litchy, 2011). This holistic approach allows the ability for conventional medicine to be incorporated with alternative interventions which, further enables the patient to decide which route of care best suits their specific preferences.

Many hospitals around the U.S. are currently offering holistic methods of care such as Sharp Healthcare in San Diego. The services offered there include; Acupuncture, Arts for Healing, Clinical Aromatherapy, Guided Imagery, Healing Touch, Holistic Healing, Massage Therapy, Qigong, Reflexology, and Yoga. All of these methods allow patients to receive an alternative intervention for treatment of conditions such as; anxiety, pain management, and stress. All of these are known conditions to negatively affect the healing process (Sharp, 2014). With all the diversity in the United States it is typically not the easiest task to adhere to a large population of differing preferences. With the implementation of holistic approaches to care, outpatient care, home health, physical therapy services, and many other ambulatory care settings can further align services with the ...

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Implementing a standard of patient centered care that includes; a focus on amenities and interpersonal relationships to increase patient satisfaction, as well as increase the use of holistic approaches and technology to create a better sense of continuity in care regarding ambulatory care settings.

When relating customers of Starbucks and Apple to patients at a Hospital, the patients should always come first. Meaning, the focus of services and characteristics such as amenities, interpersonal relationships, holistic approaches to care, and the use of technology should all become the standard in ambulatory care settings to ensure a patient centered experience. The outcome of this can reflect the same for customers of Starbucks and Apple, return patients that are satisfied and willing to return to the provider because they felt as though they came first.