title: Is there a place for a holistic approach in surgical training?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The holistic approach in medicine is a framework that considers and treats all aspects of a patient's needs, as it relates to their health. The goal of such an approach is to prevent illness, and to maximise the well-being of individuals and families. Holistic medicine is also referred to as integrative, which has been interpreted by some professionals as the combination of evidence-based medicine and complementary medicine.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The speciality of Family Medicine (FM) is often referred to as General Practice (GP), a terminology which emphasises the holistic nature of that discipline. Furthermore, GP/FM professional bodies in some countries have incorporated the holistic and integrative approach into curricula and guidelines for doctors in training, which reflects its acceptance as a component of medical training. However, despite this validation, and despite research showing the effectiveness of such strategies in enhancing the outcomes of surgery, a holistic framework or integrative approach has not been equally integrated into speciality training for would-be surgeons.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We argue that it would be advisable to include holistic approaches into surgical training and help surgeons to recognise their role in the continuum of care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, American Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Timucin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Atayoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, The Royal London Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Noor
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Buchholz
authors.affiliation: State Family Health Center in Kucukcekmece Province, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayten Guner
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Atayoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Medipol Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mujgan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Caliskan
keywords: FM, Family Medicine; Family Medicine; GP, General Practice; General Practice; Holistic; Integrative; Surgical training