Key points
- A Consultant Family Physician has called for healthcare delivery that considers patients’ family, community and social environments.
- He said family medicine adopts a biopsychosocial approach that recognises the family as part of the patient’s care process.
- The expert warned that fragmented healthcare increases costs and weakens continuity of care.
- He said modern family medicine integrates patient-centred, family-oriented and community-based healthcare with evidence-based practice.
- The physician stressed that strong support systems improve patients’ ability to cope with illness and achieve better health outcomes.
Main Story
A Consultant Family Physician, Dr Fatai Olaniyan, has advocated a holistic approach to healthcare delivery, urging medical practitioners to manage patients within the context of their families, communities and social environments to improve health outcomes.
Olaniyan made the call on Wednesday during a webinar organised by the National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria (NPMCN) titled, “Connecting the Dots: How General System Theory Shapes Family Medicine.”
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of the NPMCN Faculty of Family Medicine described healthcare as a biopsychosocial process, noting that effective patient management extends beyond treating diseases to understanding the social and family systems influencing an individual’s health.
He explained that family medicine recognises the family as an entity capable of experiencing distress, dysfunction, disruption and discrimination, all of which can significantly affect the health and well-being of its members.
According to him, some medical conditions require interventions at the family level rather than treatment focused solely on individual patients, adding that health is achieved through the harmonious interaction of biological, psychological and social systems.
Olaniyan noted that family medicine has evolved from traditional general practice into a specialised field that delivers holistic, comprehensive and coordinated healthcare, integrating clinical care with patients’ social realities.
He observed that although advances in laboratory medicine, antibiotics and specialised hospital care have transformed medical practice over the past century, increased specialisation has also contributed to fragmented healthcare delivery.
The consultant warned that fragmented care often leads to higher healthcare costs and weakens continuity in patient management, stressing that coordinated care involving the individual, family and broader support systems produces better clinical outcomes.
He explained that the growing need for holistic and continuous healthcare led to the recognition of family medicine as a medical specialty between the 1960s and 1980s.
Olaniyan added that modern family medicine combines patient-centred, family-oriented and community-based approaches with evidence-based medical practice, while emphasising that strong family and community support systems help patients adapt more effectively to illness and other health challenges.
The Issues
Growing medical specialisation has improved treatment options but has also contributed to fragmented healthcare, reducing continuity of care and increasing healthcare costs. Experts believe that integrating family, community and psychosocial factors into patient management can improve treatment outcomes, strengthen preventive healthcare and promote more efficient health systems.
What’s Being Said
Dr Fatai Olaniyan, Chairman, NPMCN Faculty of Family Medicine:
“The family itself can be recognised as a patient when we are caring for people in our clinics.”
He added:
“Some health conditions require family-level interventions rather than treatment focused solely on an individual patient.”
On healthcare delivery, he said:
“Health is a harmonious interaction of biological, psychological and social systems.”
He also warned that:
“Fragmentation of care often results in higher healthcare costs and loss of continuity in patient management.”
What’s Next
The National Postgraduate Medical College of Nigeria is expected to continue promoting discussions on patient-centred and family-oriented healthcare as part of efforts to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and improve health outcomes. Medical practitioners are also expected to adopt more integrated care models that address the biological, psychological and social needs of patients.
Bottom Line
Dr Olaniyan’s call reinforces the importance of family medicine in delivering comprehensive healthcare. By treating patients within the broader context of their families and communities, healthcare providers can improve continuity of care, reduce costs and achieve better long-term health outcomes.
