Is your practice really that predictable? Nonlinearity principles in family medicine
These patient cases show “nonlinear” thinking better grasps complexities and handles the unexpected.
Sensitivity to minor changes in their environment, resistance to change, sudden dramatic change in behavior, and intermittent collapses characterize behaviors in many patients. If we understand the nonlinear nature of these behaviors, we will be better able to help our patients.
Expect the unexpected, reduce unpredictability by learning about patients and their contexts, attack resistance by seeking epiphanies or using positive attractors, recognize the sensitivity of our patients’ trajectories and use or anticipate it when possible, and promote the healthy benefits of nonlinearity.
CORRESPONDENCE
David A. Katerndahl, MD, MA, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr. MC 7795, San Antonio, TX 78229-3900. E-mail: katerndahl@uthscsa.edu.
