image: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published online with open access options and in print. Led by John Weeks (johnweeks-integrator.com), the Co-founder and past Executive Director of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, the journal provides observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals, delivery organization leaders, and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website. view more
Credit: ©Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers
New Rochelle, NY, September 8, 2016--Medical errors are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. according to a published estimate, but many could be prevented with a shift in the medical industry from a production-driven to an integrative model of healthcare. The emphasis should be on value-based decision-making that takes into account the whole patient, says Editor-in-Chief John Weeks in an Editorial in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website until October 7, 2016.
In "Integrative Health: Implications from a Report That Medical Errors Are the USA's Third Leading Cause of Death," John Weeks outlines the factors that produce errors, including the medical industry's focus on production of services and the still-limited scientific basis of most medical decisions. He emphasizes the need for changes to the current incentive structure as well as a shift from the medical industry's production orientation toward a value-based approach. He also discusses how future research on integrative practices can help identify interventions associated with fewer and shorter hospital stays, healthier lifestyles, and better outcomes.
"The solution to medical errors may come less from focusing on ending errors than on delivering the kind of whole-person, whole-system, health-focused, individualized care that defines the integrative health movement," says The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Editor-in-Chief John Weeks, johnweeks-integrator.com, Seattle, WA.
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About the Journal
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine is a monthly peer-reviewed journal published online with open access options and in print. Led by John Weeks (johnweeks-integrator.com), the Co-founder and past Executive Director of the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, the Journal provides observational, clinical, and scientific reports and commentary intended to help healthcare professionals, delivery organization leaders, and scientists evaluate and integrate therapies into patient care protocols and research strategies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Medical Acupuncture, and Journal of Medicinal Food. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.
Journal
The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine