Holistic care: What is 'holistic bandwidth'?

The old website with its pages is static. In thinking about how to mix the old and create new dynamic content for a Drupal based site, I came across a possible way to define and explore our notions of holistic care. Here are some very initial musings....

First to focus on quantity. In completing an assessment whichever care domain I start in (let's say the intrapersonal domain) then as that domain is populated can it be argued that within the other domains the same number of placeholders for our assessment data are created? If my patient has eight problems (and two strengths) then according to one definition of holistic bandwidth the remaining domains should have the same number of problems (and strengths). Balance in all things - including holistic care?

One thing that the ADLs teach us is that (holistic) care as represented in Hodges' model is asymmetrical.

This does not mean that the ideal of holistic care is lost.

It might mean that strident efforts to assure holistic bandwidth can interfere with our attaining person-centred, integrated and multidisciplinary care.

It is essential that we recognise holistic care as an ideal, as a constraint and the primacy of functional considerations in:

• assessment;
• planning;
• care interventions;
• evaluation;
• and governance.

It comes as no surprise then that there are several versions of holistic bandwidth:

1. If we want to be inclusive then version #1 is epistemological. This anticipates the total number of semantically associated concepts that can potentially arise in a given care episode. This is what might be termed the 'semantic web of care'.
2. The sum total of concepts across all the care domains (inc. spiritual) that are actually activated in the course of a care episode.
3. The concepts that are deemed relevant by the patient, carer, family and guardians.... These add holistic value to and may well (must!) overlap with the care concepts recorded by the clinical team and reflected in the health record(s).
4. The degree of expressiveness of the care recording system - its capacity to represent holistic care and capture (measure) holistic bandwidth pre- or post- care episode completion.
5. The (idealised and learner generated) collections of care concepts identified and enacted within education.
6. The idealised and actual collections of holistic arrays applied and recorded by the combined clinical and social care disciplines* involved (there are two sets in practise and theory). As per #3 these (should) overlap with the patient and carer's....
7. The final combined lexis of written, electronic and other record(ed) media that constitutes the final:
• personal health record;
• summary health record;
• historical health record;
• clinical record;
• ....
• all the above combined;
• an individual and group's (family) health career!
8. In addition there are the anonymised and aggregated data items that form part of clinical / management reports, local, central government statistics and returns that inform national health and social care policy and global health intelligence at the WHO.
9. Throughout 1-8 holistic bandwidth must also incorporate education, engagement and informatics.

It is reasonable to speak of personal and impersonal forms of holistic bandwidth.

Students - if this is helpful or confusing please let me know h2cmuk @ yahoo.co.uk