Lifeworld-led healthcare: revisiting a humanising philosophy that integrates emerging trends.
In this paper, we describe the value and philosophy of lifeworld-led care. Our purpose is to give a philosophically coherent foundation for lifeworld-led care and its core value as a humanising force that moderates technological progress. We begin by indicating the timeliness of these concerns within the current context of citizen-oriented, participative approaches to healthcare. We believe that this context is in need of a deepening philosophy if it is not to succumb to the discourses of mere consumerism. We thus revisit the potential of Husserl's notion of the lifeworld and how lifeworld-led care could provide important ideas and values that are central to the humanisation of healthcare practice. This framework provides a synthesis of the main arguments of the paper and is finally expressed in a model of lifeworld-led care that includes its core value, core perspectives, relevant indicative methodologies and main benefits. The model is offered as a potentially broad-based approach for integrating many existing practices and trends. In the spirit of Husserl's interest in both commonality and variation, we highlight the central, less contestable foundations of lifeworld-led care, without constraining the possible varieties of confluent practices.
Todres
Les
L
Institute of Health and Community Studies, Bournemouth University, First Floor, Royal London House, Christchurch Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 3LT, UK. ltodres@bournemouth.ac.uk
Galvin
Kathleen
K
Dahlberg
Karin
K
D001294:Attitude to Health / Q000208:ethnology; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000639:trends; D003469:Culture; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000941:ethics*; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D014943:Global Health; D006694:Holistic Health; D006808:Humanism; D006801:Humans; D010358:Patient Participation; D010686:Philosophy, Medical; D012945:Social Values / Q000208:ethnology; D013038:Specialization