Complexity in primary care: understanding its value

The daily work of General Practitioners can seem at once simple and immensely complicated. The routine nature of the consultation appears on the surface to be straightforward, but carries within it myriad layers of meaning. The options for diagnosis and treatment within a single consultation, or when combined in the overall pattern of the day, can seem huge. A basic understanding of complexity theory can provide GPs with a way to face the more bewildering aspects of their job. This book provides a concise and clear introduction to complexity, tailored specifically for the primary care environment. GPs and their colleagues throughout primary care will find this book assists them in working more efficiently, more effectively and more enjoyably.

Cover; Title Page; Copyright Page; Contents; Foreword; About the author; Introduction; 1 Why bother? The need to understand explanatory models; 2 The biomedical tradition: why doctors think like doctors; 3 Evidence-based medicine: the contemporary manifestation of the explanatory model in medicine; 4 The naturalistic tradition: historical overview of the epistemological origins of qualitative research; 5 The non-linear tradition: historical development of complexity; 6 Developing an understanding of chaos and complexity: implications and examples.

7 Using complexity principles in healthcare research: examples of data analysis using complexity principles8 Complexity and medical practice: prospects for the future; Appendix:; Paper 1: Evidence-based practice: can this help joint working?; Paper 2: A preliminary study of the decision-making process within general practice; Paper 3: Why general practitioners do not implement evidence: qualitative study; Paper 4: A comparison of professionals' and patients' understanding of asthma: evidence of emerging dualities?; References and further reading; Index.