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Contributions of Medical Family Therapy to the Changing Health Care System
Author(s) -
Doherty William J.,
McDaniel Susan H.,
Hepworth Jeri
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/famp.12092
Subject(s) - biopsychosocial model , family therapy , health care , medicine , medical care , nursing , family health , family medicine , population , medical practice , psychology , psychiatry , environmental health , economics , economic growth
Medical family therapy is a form of professional practice that uses a biopsychosocial approach and systemic family therapy principles in the collaborative treatment of individuals and families dealing with medical problems. It emerged out of the experience of family therapists working in primary medical care settings in the 1980s and 1990s. This article describes how contemporary medical family therapy can contribute to a transformed health care system in four areas: the patient experience of health care, the health of the population, the containment of health care costs, and enhanced practice environments.