Advanced Metrics for Assessing Holistic Care: The "Epidaurus 2" Project

Overview

Journal Glob Adv Health Med

Specialty Public Health

Date 2018 Mar 3

PMID 29497586

Authors

Frederick O Foote

Herbert Benson

Ann Berger

Brian Berman

James DeLeo

Patricia A Deuster

David J Lary

Marni N Silverman

Esther M Sternberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

In response to the challenge of military traumatic brain injury and posttraumatic stress disorder, the US military developed a wide range of holistic care modalities at the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, from 2001 to 2017, guided by civilian expert consultation via the Epidaurus Project. These projects spanned a range from healing buildings to wellness initiatives and healing through nature, spirituality, and the arts. The next challenge was to develop whole-body metrics to guide the use of these therapies in clinical care. Under the "Epidaurus 2" Project, a national search produced 5 advanced metrics for measuring whole-body therapeutic effects: genomics, integrated stress biomarkers, language analysis, machine learning, and "Star Glyphs." This article describes the metrics, their current use in guiding holistic care at Walter Reed, and their potential for operationalizing personalized care, patient self-management, and the improvement of public health. Development of these metrics allows the scientific integration of holistic therapies with organ-system-based care, expanding the powers of medicine.

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