SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “PHILOSOPHY”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

PubMed2005

The function debate in philosophy.

This paper reviews the debate on the notion of biological function and on functional explanation as this takes place in philosophy. It describes the different perspectives, issues, intuitions, theories and arguments that have emerged. The author shows that the debate has been too heavily influenced by the concerns of a naturalistic philosophy of mind and argues that in order to improve our understanding of biology the attention should be shifted from the study of intuitions to the study of the actual practice of biological inquiry.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

Medicine as task--Karl E. Rothschuh's philosophy of medicine.

Karl E. Rothschuh is one of the most important, but, on an international scale, relatively unknown representatives of German philosophy of medicine in the 20th century. This paper presents and discusses his central concepts systematically, especially those of anthropology, theories of health and disease. Rothschuh distinguishes two methodological approaches to anthropology: a causal analysis that considers human organism as complex causal systems, and a so-called bionomical investigation that clarifies the meaning or function of single processes in respect to the whole organism. These two perspectives complement each other. From a naturalistic point of view, Rothschuh conceptualises diseases as disorganisatorial or disbionomic processes; nevertheless, he stresses the cultural interweavement, and, hence, the normative foundation of diseases. 'Disease' is both a relational and a gradual term: It can be experienced and conceptualised subjectively by patients (aegritudo), clinically by physicians (nosos, pathos) and by society (insalubritas). Further, Rothschuh differentiates between the very definition, a notion and a concept of disease. Because of the normative character of disease, medicine cannot be a science striving for pure theoretical knowledge like physics or chemistry. Medicine is a practical science, oriented towards its goals of healing. Because of the societal position of medicine, Rothschuh describes it as task (Aufgabe). With regard to modern developments in philosophy of medicine, this paper discusses Rothschuh's theories critically and offers some starting points for necessary enhancements.

Causality↗

PubMed2006

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.

Attitude to Health↗

PubMed1993

The philosophies of dowel diameter preparation: a literature review.

This article reviewed the literature regarding the diameter of dowels and identified three distinct philosophies of dowel space preparation. One group advocated the narrowest diameter for fabrication of a dowel to a desired length. Another recommended a dowel space with an apical diameter equal to one third of the narrowest dimension of the root at the terminus of the dowel. A third group advised that at least 1 mm of sound dentin should surround the entire surface of the dowel. A combination of the one third and 1 mm minimal philosophies yielded a practical guideline for dowel space preparation, particularly in aged teeth. Requiring a definite amount of tooth structure surrounding the dowel, while adhering to the one third proportion, indicated upper limits on both the diameter and length of the dowel. These calculated limits served as convenient starting points in selecting a specific style of dowel and assisted in determining whether additional measures are warranted to enhance dowel retention.

Dental Pulp Cavity↗

PubMed1994

A nationwide survey of contemporary philosophies and techniques of restoring endodontically treated teeth.

Contemporary endodontic therapy has allowed patients to retain severely damaged teeth. The restoration of most endodontically treated teeth involves complex and controversial procedures. There is a diversity of opinion about the need for coronoradicular stabilization, and numerous post systems and techniques have been described. It is not known what materials and techniques are most commonly used. To expand the knowledge of current philosophies and prevailing techniques, a comprehensive nationwide survey of 1525 dentists was conducted. Of the 1066 respondents, 909 (85%) reported restoring more than 30 endodontically treated teeth per year, and this subset became the focus group of the survey. Board-certified prosthodontists comprised 40% of this group, educationally qualified prosthodontists 28%, and general dentists 32%. Responses to questions were statistically analyzed. Statistical analysis revealed that philosophies and techniques varied significantly with the dentist's geographic location, age, specialty status, and dental school faculty status.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

A new philosophy of medical imaging.

In general, the traditional approach to medical imaging is based on the solution of the inverse problem of deducing the characteristics of tissues within the body from the received field resulting from probing radiation. Ambiguities and lack of complete data, and physical limitations such as diffraction, field non-uniformity and so on, prevent the image from being an exact representation of what would be seen if the imaged part of the patient were to be exposed to direct vision or drawn by an artist. Much more exact representation could be produced, however, if the philosophy of imaging were to be changed to involve the solution of the forward problem in which the received field is iteratively compared with that calculated to be produced by a computer-simulated model of the object from a knowledge base of anatomy, pathology, histology, physical properties of tissues etc. As a result of this converging process of comparison and iterative minimisation of the difference signal, a model of the object would be simulated consistent with the received field resulting from probing radiation as well as with all the relevant information form a knowledge base containing general knowledge and also including the personal records of the particular patient. Using such a model, any required cross-section or three-dimensional pictorial representation of the region of interest in the investigated object could be displayed in the form of a pictorial image. Thus the proposed philosophy would make medical imaging much less subjective and increase its information value, because inherently it includes all relevant biomedical data in the displayed image.

Diagnostic Imaging↗

PubMed1992

Reconstructing nursing: a coronary care perspective of the primary nurse philosophy.

The philosophy underpinning the system of primary nursing and how it relates to the reconstruction of nursing merits consideration. This includes examination of the relationship of primary nursing to the concept and practice of caring: the movement of nursing to humanitarianism from pragmatism and the relationship to a process rather than a traditional system of nursing. Arguments concerning these topics are presented here and discussed in relation to the experiences and practice of a group of nurses in a Coronary Care Unit (CCU) before and after the introduction of a system of nursing based on the primary care philosophy.

Altruism↗

PubMed2004

Problem-based learning: ancient Chinese educational philosophy reflected in a modern educational methodology.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been widely adopted as a strategy by nurse educators all over the world. Many studies have been carried out to examine its process and outcomes. There are few studies discussing the relevance of PBL to students with different cultural background. This study reports the experiences of Chinese students in Hong Kong using PBL and explores if their experiences were compatible with the educational philosophy documented in traditional Chinese literature. The phenomenological approach was used in the treatment of data. The informants were students enrolled in the post-registration nursing degree programme at a university in Hong Kong during 1997-1998. A total of 94 journals were included in the analysis. Seven main themes emerged from the phenomenological analysis. They were the integration of knowing and doing, critical reflection and debate, individuality of learning, self-motivated learning, critical inquiry and independent thinking, timeliness of instruction and cooperative learning. This study provides evidence to show that PBL is an approach that is compatible with the Chinese way of learning. The result of this study shows that aspects of the modern PBL process harken back to an ancient Chinese learning philosophy that underpins Chinese learning today.

China↗

PubMed2005

Maxillomandibular relationship philosophies for prosthodontic treatment: a survey of dental educators.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: A variety of treatment philosophies persist concerning the need for coincidence of centric occlusion (CO) and maximum intercuspation (MI) in prosthodontic restoration; however, no consensus exists. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the philosophies of dental educators throughout the United States at both the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels and to compare their attitudes toward desirable maxillomandibular relationships in defined clinical situations. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A survey was constructed with 5 clinical scenarios presented describing patients with a difference between maximum intercuspation and centric occlusion. The survey was mailed to 171 dentists involved in either predoctoral or postdoctoral dental programs in the United States; including 56 dental schools; the Army, Navy, and Air Force postdoctoral programs; 8 Department of Veterans Affairs postdoctoral programs; and 7 hospital-based programs. Descriptive statistics of the responses were provided. Chi-squared (alpha=.05) and Fisher's exact test analyses (alpha=.05) comparing predoctoral and postdoctoral program responses for each question were performed. RESULTS: Forty-three predoctoral dental school program responses were received. Forty-one postdoctoral program directors, including the dental school-based programs, 3 armed service branches, 2 Veterans Administration programs, and 1 hospital-based program responded to the survey. Fifteen respondents indicated that they represented both predoctoral and postdoctoral programs, and these data were deleted from the sample. Summarized results for each question reflect on whether the clinicians philosophically believed patients were better off with the elimination of an existing occlusal interference between MI and CO or not. There was no statistically significant difference seen between the predoctoral and postdoctoral responses. CONCLUSION: The controversy regarding the preferred mandibular position for treatment of dentulous and partially edentulous patients continues among dental educators at both the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels in the United States.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2005

On evidence and evidence-based medicine: lessons from the philosophy of science.

The evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement is touted as a new paradigm in medical education and practice, a description that carries with it an enthusiasm for science that has not been seen since logical positivism flourished (circa 1920-1950). At the same time, the term "evidence-based medicine" has a ring of obviousness to it, as few physicians, one suspects, would claim that they do not attempt to base their clinical decision-making on available evidence. However, the apparent obviousness of EBM can and should be challenged on the grounds of how 'evidence' has been problematised in the philosophy of science. EBM enthusiasm, it follows, ought to be tempered. The post-positivist, feminist, and phenomenological philosophies of science that are examined in this paper contest the seemingly unproblematic nature of evidence that underlies EBM by emphasizing different features of the social nature of science. The appeal to the authority of evidence that characterizes evidence-based practices does not increase objectivity but rather obscures the subjective elements that inescapably enter all forms of human inquiry. The seeming common sense of EBM only occurs because of its assumed removal from the social context of medical practice. In the current age where the institutional power of medicine is suspect, a model that represents biomedicine as politically disinterested or merely scientific should give pause.

Evidence-Based Medicine↗

PubMed1999

Philosophy of science and the progressiveness of the DSM's theory-neutral nosology: response to Follette and Houts, Part 1.

Follette and Houts [Follette, W. C., Houts, A. C. (1996). Models of scientific progress and the role of theory in taxonomy development: a case study of the DSM. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1120-1132] argue on philosophy-of-science grounds that the DSM's theory-neutral nosology is scientifically unprogressive because of its growing number of categories and lack of a unifying explanatory theory. They suggested replacing the DSM by competing theory-laden diagnostic manuals. I argue: (1) the ways things can go wrong with the mind are inherently diverse, so a unified theory of mental disorders is unlikely; (2) the claim that an increase in categories is inconsistent with scientific progress is empirically false; (3) the claim that the DSM's new categories expand the domain of disorder is largely false; (4) progress in a theoretically fragmented field requires a shared theory-neutrally defined domain; (5) theory-neutral diagnosis and integration of etiological theories is preferable for now to competition among theory-based diagnostic manuals; (6) philosophy of science supports use of a theory-neutral nosology for now.

Humans↗

PubMed1996

Towards a philosophy of continuing professional education in nursing, midwifery and health visiting.

This paper outlines a justification for developing and articulating a belief system which encompasses continuing professional education and the theory and practice of nursing. It describes the nature and rationale for such a belief system, distinguishing it from the pursuit of an absolute or philosophy. Nevertheless, it is suggested that such a belief system owes and contributes much to both a philosophy of education and of nursing.

Community Health Nursing↗

PubMed2002

Introduction--risk from a philosophy of science point of view.

In this paper it is argued that risk assessment (RA) should be based on principles of philosophy of science. However, in the field of toxicology and the associated RA this is generally not the case. The aim of this presentation is to demonstrate various principles of philosophy of science, applied to 'risk'. Particularly in the context of RA, ignoring basic semantics and methodological principles creates unnecessary difficulties and confusion. Better knowledge about, e.g. semantics and the role and structure of theories, could help to avoid misconceptions and disagreements. We suggest a general theory of risk, which makes an attempt to answer the unequivocal question: what is risk?

Environmental Pollutants↗

PubMed1996

The Tweed-Merrifield philosophy.

Charles Tweed's concepts have been simplified, enhanced, and expanded by Levern Merrifield. Merrifield's ideas have augmented Tweed's to give orthodontics the Tweed-Merrifield philosophy. Adherence to the philosophy allows the orthodontic specialist to define objectives for the face, the skeletal pattern, and the teeth, and to diagnose and treat a malocclusion to efficiently reach these predetermined objectives.

Cephalometry↗

PubMed1998

The wisdom of the bioprogressive philosophy.

This article provides a brief overview of the history of orthodontic practice and comments on the "era of limitations" that exemplified orthodontic thinking in the 1930s. In contrast, the Bioprogressive philosophy of orthodontic treatment which developed 2 decades later resulted from an attitude of academic and clinical freedom. The Bioprogressive philosophy brought many aspects of biology and function into the arena of orthodontic therapy. This technique does not follow a series of rigidly fixed treatment steps, but rather stresses a number of orthodontic principles that have stood the test of time. This article revisits and updates the Bioprogressive principles in line with the latest developments in biology and orthodontic materials.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Philosophy of science and the foundations of psychotherapy.

The field of psychotherapy rests on a foundation of basic propositions, fundamental starting points or cornerstones, and ideas that are generally taken for granted as fundamental givens or truths. A case is presented that there are ways in which foundational beliefs may be kept essentially immune from careful explication, study, examination, analysis, and challenge, and therefore from constructive improvement and change. Borrowed largely from the neighboring field of philosophy of science, 5 solutions are presented to assist in explicating, challenging, improving, and changing foundational beliefs. The subsequent 2 articles (E. Erwin, 2000; J. F. Rychlak, 2000) illustrate how these philosophy of science methods may be applied to 2 foundational beliefs in the field of psychotherapy.

Humans↗

PubMed1993

Identifying alternative linkages among philosophy, theory and method in nursing science.

The major concerns expressed in the literature regarding the development and expansion of nursing science stem from questions related to 'what sorts of science' and 'which scientific methods' are appropriate for nursing. While there is a sector of nursing's scientific community that advocates a unified approach to philosophy and method, a growing sentiment for the position of philosophical and methodological pluralism is apparent. This paper addresses the nature of scientific pluralism by presenting a framework for alternative linkages possible among the philosophy, theory and method appropriate for nursing science. The nature of nursing knowledge that is produced within the discipline will thus depend on various forms of alternative linkages adopted by nursing scientists in addressing nursing's scientific questions. In turn, such pluralism presents problems of choice to nurses in practice with respect to knowledge utilization.

Bias↗

PubMed1998

The nature of philosophy of science, theory and knowledge relating to nursing and professionalism.

It appears that nursing has devoted an extravagant amount of concentration to the subject of professionalism and professionalization. Consequently, it has created and persists to create some proportion of controversy amid nursing authors, particularly in the Western World at the present time. According to Silva, philosophy, knowledge and theory are intrinsically linked. These notions are important to consider independently and to clarify their relationships, if nursing's knowledge base is to be built on a strong foundation. Perhaps then, if nursing wishes to continue on the trail of professionalization, nurses need to return to and reconsider its foundations and accomplishments. The aim of this discussion paper is to explore the nature of the philosophy of science, knowledge and theory and their interrelationships, with particular reference to professionalization by considering where nursing has come from and consequently the way forward to ascertaining professional status.

Forecasting↗