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Health is not the same as the absence of disease. Some years ago a new concept of ‘health’, better than the old definition of the WHO, was formulated – ‘positive health’. This made health an ability or power. It shows that (even) patients with a chronic illness or disability can (partially) regain their health.
Likewise, in the concept of positive health of Bannink and Jansen, patients, not the illness, take center stage. Their possibilities are emphasized instead of their limitations. The authors argue that in general practice one should be as much concerned with the promotion of health as with the treatment of disease.

A competency-focused approach can no longer be disregarded in health care. The focus is not (only) on how problems or complaints can improve, but also how to build on the strengths in their lives. A strong example is the solution-focused approach.
This functional model is all about finding what works for this patient, at this moment, in this context. The model is useful in helping patients to create and realize a new and better life.
They are invited to think differently, to describe their desired future, to notice positive differences and to make progress.

This is the first book about how positive health care is implemented in a solution-focused way, of course in combination with the regular medical model. The authors demonstrate that working in general practice can not only be better and faster, but also lighter and more fun.

General practitioner: “The consultation is much lighter, it is less heavy. And that can make you very happy. Patients frequently make progress; it is often effective.”