gms | German Medical Science

15. Grazer Konferenz – Qualität der Lehre: Teaching and Learning – Expanding our Resources

28. - 30. April 2011, Wien, Österreich

Teaching biopsychosocial aspects of high altitude medicine at the Medical University of Graz

Poster

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  • corresponding author Michael Trapp - Medical University of Graz, University Clinic of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Graz, Austria; ARGE Alpinmedizin, Graz, Austria; International Society of Biopsychosocial Medicine; IS-BPS-Med
  • author Josef Egger - Medical University of Graz, University Clinic of Medical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Graz, Austria; International Society of Biopsychosocial Medicine; IS-BPS-Med
  • corresponding author Wolfgang Domeij - Medical University of Graz, University Clinic of Internal Medicine, Graz, Austria; ARGE Alpinmedizin, Graz, Austria

15. Grazer Konferenz – Qualität der Lehre: Teaching and Learning – expanding our resources. Wien, Österreich, 28.-30.04.2011. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2012. Doc11grako51

doi: 10.3205/11grako51, urn:nbn:de:0183-11grako517

Published: April 25, 2012

© 2012 Trapp et al.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.en). You are free: to Share – to copy, distribute and transmit the work, provided the original author and source are credited.


Poster

The biopsychosocial model of illness is regarded as the most significant, important, and compact theory to describe the relationship between body and mind [1]. The model is now essentially a theory of the unity of body and mind and offers a fundamental extension of the biomedical model of medicine, in which health and illness are no longer conceived as dichotomous separated entities [http://www.bpsmed.net]. There are studies demonstrating the effect of hypobaric hypoxia on the cardiovascular system, the autonomic nervous system – especially the sympathetic activity, muscle sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate variability, arterial baroreflex, etc. [2], [3].

Knowledge of psycho-physiology of high-altitude adaptation and of pathophysiology of maladaptation is taught in the course “Mountain Medicine” at the Medical University of Graz. In order to emphasize the importance of a multiprofessional and multidimensional biopsychosocial education, experts of different areas of medicine contribute to this course. In order to provide a broad education this course deals with the complex interactions and the impact of environmental factors, such as altitude and cardiopulmonary exercise, on the function of blood, kidney and brain as well as on the endocrine, immune, respiratory and cardio-circulatory system.

Methods like lectures (7.5 double units), multimedia presentations, case discussions, opportunity of writing a diploma thesis or dissertation; participation in current scientific projects, clinical and field studies are utilized in order to provide a broad and multidimensional education of high altitude medicine with regard of the biopsychosocial model.


References

1.
Egger JW. Das biopsychosoziale Krankheitsmodell - Grundzüge eines wissenschaftlich begründeten ganzheitlichen Verständnisses von Krankheit. Psychol Med. 2005;16:3-12.
2.
Egger JW. Grundlagen der „Psychosomatik“ - Zur Anwendung des biopsychosozialen Krankheitsmodells in der Praxis. Psychol Med. 2008;19:12-22.
3.
Hainsworth R, Drinkhill MJ, Rivera-Chira M. The autonomic nervous system at high altitude. Clin Auton Res. 2007;17(1):13-19. DOI: 10.1007/s10286-006-0395-7 External link