A term used for a method of medical care in which patients are treated as a whole, and which takes into account their physical and mental state as well as social background rather than just treating the disease alone.
adj. describing an approach to patient care in which the physical, mental, and social factors in the patient’s condition are taken into account, rather than just the diagnosed disease. The term is often used in relation to public health and is also applied to a range of orthodox and complementary methods of treatment. See also complementary medicine.
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