Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine
Abstract Background Systems medicine has become a key word in biomedical research. Although it is often referred to as P4-(predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory)-medicine, it still lacks a clear definition and is open to interpretation. This conceptual lack of clarity complicates th...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2017-11-01
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| Series: | BMC Health Services Research |
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| Online Access: | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2688-z |
| _version_ | 1818280767642402816 |
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| author | Sebastian Schleidgen Sandra Fernau Henrike Fleischer Christoph Schickhardt Ann-Kristin Oßa Eva C. Winkler |
| author_facet | Sebastian Schleidgen Sandra Fernau Henrike Fleischer Christoph Schickhardt Ann-Kristin Oßa Eva C. Winkler |
| author_sort | Sebastian Schleidgen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Systems medicine has become a key word in biomedical research. Although it is often referred to as P4-(predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory)-medicine, it still lacks a clear definition and is open to interpretation. This conceptual lack of clarity complicates the scientific and public discourse on chances, risks and limits of Systems Medicine and may lead to unfounded hopes. Against this background, our goal was to develop a sufficiently precise and widely acceptable definition of Systems Medicine. Methods In a first step, PubMed was searched using the keyword “systems medicine”. A data extraction tabloid was developed putting forward a means/ends-division. Full-texts of articles containing Systems Medicine in title or abstract were screened for definitions. Definitions were extracted; their semantic elements were assigned as either means or ends. To reduce complexity of the resulting list, summary categories were developed inductively. In a second step, we applied six criteria for adequate definitions (necessity, non-circularity, non-redundancy, consistency, non-vagueness, and coherence) to these categories to derive a so-called précising definition of Systems Medicine. Results We identified 185 articles containing the term Systems Medicine in title or abstract. 67 contained at least one definition of Systems Medicine. In 98 definitions, we found 114 means and 132 ends. From these we derived the précising definition: Systems Medicine is an approach seeking to improve medical research (i.e. the understanding of complex processes occurring in diseases, pathologies and health states as well as innovative approaches to drug discovery) and health care (i.e. prevention, prediction, diagnosis and treatment) through stratification by means of Systems Biology (i.e. data integration, modeling, experimentation and bioinformatics). Our study also revealed the visionary character of Systems Medicine. Conclusions Our insights, on the one hand, allow for a realistic identification of actual ethical as well as legal issues arising in the context of Systems Medicine and, in consequence, for a realistic debate of questions concerning its matter and (future) handling. On the other hand, they help avoiding unfounded hopes and unrealistic expectations. This especially holds for goals like improving patient participation which are intensely debated in the context of Systems Medicine, however not implied in the concept. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:54:28Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eed1558f0ac94f1e98958079d47a1dee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6963 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T23:54:28Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Health Services Research |
| spelling | doaj.art-eed1558f0ac94f1e98958079d47a1dee2022-12-22T00:06:37ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632017-11-0117111610.1186/s12913-017-2688-zApplying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicineSebastian Schleidgen0Sandra Fernau1Henrike Fleischer2Christoph Schickhardt3Ann-Kristin Oßa4Eva C. Winkler5Faculty of Nursing Science, University of Philosophy and Theology VallendarChair of Systematic Theology II (Ethics), Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-NürnbergInstitute for German, European and International Medical Law, Public Health Law and Bioethics (IMGB), Universities of Heidelberg and MannheimNational Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Program for Ethics and Patient-Oriented Care, Department of Medical Oncology, Heidelberg University HospitalNational Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Program for Ethics and Patient-Oriented Care, Department of Medical Oncology, Heidelberg University HospitalNational Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), Program for Ethics and Patient-Oriented Care, Department of Medical Oncology, Heidelberg University HospitalAbstract Background Systems medicine has become a key word in biomedical research. Although it is often referred to as P4-(predictive, preventive, personalized and participatory)-medicine, it still lacks a clear definition and is open to interpretation. This conceptual lack of clarity complicates the scientific and public discourse on chances, risks and limits of Systems Medicine and may lead to unfounded hopes. Against this background, our goal was to develop a sufficiently precise and widely acceptable definition of Systems Medicine. Methods In a first step, PubMed was searched using the keyword “systems medicine”. A data extraction tabloid was developed putting forward a means/ends-division. Full-texts of articles containing Systems Medicine in title or abstract were screened for definitions. Definitions were extracted; their semantic elements were assigned as either means or ends. To reduce complexity of the resulting list, summary categories were developed inductively. In a second step, we applied six criteria for adequate definitions (necessity, non-circularity, non-redundancy, consistency, non-vagueness, and coherence) to these categories to derive a so-called précising definition of Systems Medicine. Results We identified 185 articles containing the term Systems Medicine in title or abstract. 67 contained at least one definition of Systems Medicine. In 98 definitions, we found 114 means and 132 ends. From these we derived the précising definition: Systems Medicine is an approach seeking to improve medical research (i.e. the understanding of complex processes occurring in diseases, pathologies and health states as well as innovative approaches to drug discovery) and health care (i.e. prevention, prediction, diagnosis and treatment) through stratification by means of Systems Biology (i.e. data integration, modeling, experimentation and bioinformatics). Our study also revealed the visionary character of Systems Medicine. Conclusions Our insights, on the one hand, allow for a realistic identification of actual ethical as well as legal issues arising in the context of Systems Medicine and, in consequence, for a realistic debate of questions concerning its matter and (future) handling. On the other hand, they help avoiding unfounded hopes and unrealistic expectations. This especially holds for goals like improving patient participation which are intensely debated in the context of Systems Medicine, however not implied in the concept.http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2688-zBioinformaticsConceptual vaguenessData integrationModelingPatient participationStratification |
| spellingShingle | Sebastian Schleidgen Sandra Fernau Henrike Fleischer Christoph Schickhardt Ann-Kristin Oßa Eva C. Winkler Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine BMC Health Services Research Bioinformatics Conceptual vagueness Data integration Modeling Patient participation Stratification |
| title | Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine |
| title_full | Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine |
| title_fullStr | Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine |
| title_short | Applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care: a précising definition of systems medicine |
| title_sort | applying systems biology to biomedical research and health care a precising definition of systems medicine |
| topic | Bioinformatics Conceptual vagueness Data integration Modeling Patient participation Stratification |
| url | http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12913-017-2688-z |
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