ABSTRACT
The problem-oriented model upon which much o f modern medical care is based has resulted in tremendous advance ments in the diagnosis and treatment o f many illnesses. Unfortunately, it is less well suited to the management o f a number o f modem health care problems, including chronic incurable illnesses, health promotion and disease preven tion, and normal life events such as pregnancy, well-child care, and death and dying. It is not particularly conducive to an interdisciplinary team approach and tends to shift control o f health away from the patient and toward the physician. Since when using this approach the enemies are disease and death, defeat is inevitable.
