Abstract
Family physicians are often faced with multi-factorial problems which are difficult to understand and document. Patients are not isolated beings; rather, they are participants in environmental systems. Recognizing this, the assessment of patients using a linear reductionist approach is limiting and incomplete. A systems approach, on the other hand, is congruent with the dynamic nature of the individual and the task. The Eco-map is a pictorial representation of the elements of a patient's environment and of the nature and quality of the interactions between those elements. Examples of the construction and usefulness of Eco-maps are given.
Keywords: Eco-map, environment, patient assessment, systems approach
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