Updating the descriptive biopsychosocial approach to fit into a formal person-centered dynamic coherence model - Part I: Some few basics.

Abstract

The current biopsychosocial model is predominantly descriptive and ontological semantic and formal issues need to be integrated to it in order to update this approach. Covering aspects of both human biology and human personhood requires the level of discretised facts, the level of underlying coherences and their meaning to be taken into account. For the intended and needed update to the biopsychosocial approach, the resulting model must be congruent with both science and humanities. Prevailing models of health/illness and resultant beliefs have considerable power to define which experience of sickness is valid, and who is alleviated from suffering. As a corollary, the responsibility to be as critical, and careful as possible when accepting, using, or developing, a model of human health and the development of illness is imperative. We propose that one way to address this responsibility is to formalise the most insightful and theoretically promising concept of health and the development of illness to date, George Engel’s „biopsychosocial model“ (BPS) [1]. The intention is to inform and influence healthcare research and practice towards more practicable and beneficent treatment of people within the healthcare and allied systems. The groundwork for this is presented in part I and it differentiates this paper from any other so far on the BPS. A new perspective on ancient philosophy helps to avoid separating topics that are indistinguishable, and compounding topics that should be addressed separately. Part II and part III apply this foundation to more specific issues in person-centred healthcare.