Clinical Complexity: The Challenge of Complexity in Medical Practice

Abstract

An encouraging phrase: “integrated care,” the combined management of a patient’s systemic medical and psychiatric illnesses. However, add to this picture psychological and social difficulties, as well as problems getting health care needs met and complexity moves to the forefront. Patients of this sort, those with multiple afflictions and complicated personal requirements, need fully coordinated care, and, at the same time guidance to help them restrain indiscriminate use of provider time. Patients with a mixture of these afflictions are “clinically complex.” With these patients as the target group, integrated care has come to the fore as a pressing topic in contemporary care delivery. Identifying these patients and then treating them whether with supportive or curative treatments is a major medical and economic task at this time.