Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to D H Ruth.
A charting system has been developed that integrates in one place the master problems of individual members of the family whether they be physical, psychological, or socioeconomic. In addition to the Family Problem List, there is a geneology as well as a family profile. The use of the INFO-POMR helps the clinician approach the family as a unit of providing family information at the provider-patient interface.
Effective use of resources available to patients in their homes, in their neighborhoods, and in their communities can give the family physician much assistance in the provision of total health care to his patients and their families. Patients' resources can be divided into two broad categories--"Personal" and "Institutional". Examples of the former are family, church, neighbors, unions, etc. Institutional resources can be public or private, and they cover a broad spectrum of services. Patients' needs for dignity and independence are best served by Personal resources. Institutional resources should be used only for those services that cannot be met any other way. Success in using any resource requires an orderly five-step process which is presented and discussed in this paper.