The Relational Medicine project is growing. In 2014 we published our practice framework 'Relational Medicine - Personalizing Modern Healthcare: The Practice of High-Tech Medicine As A RelationalAct'. Building on this foundation, we now present a cutting-edge and fully developed single case recording analysis of consecutive encounter interactions in a dramatically accelerating life-and-death decision-making situation in the high-tech medical practice of Advanced Heart Failure during which practitioners, patient, and family face multiple uncertainties as the decision-making process unfolds and the patient's condition deteriorates.We show how a multi-professional team including a cardiologist, cardiac surgeon, critical care unit nurse and fellows discuss life-prolonging options with their patient and family. We make visible the essential roles of each multi-disciplinary team member in helping frame for the patient and family what is going on and the changing options while attending to the patient's PERSON-soul-mind-body-HOOD.In bringing different data, perspectives, and facets of understanding to bear, this book offers a novel approach to studying high-tech medical care grounded in Federica Raia's Relational Ontology framework of understanding everyday practice. Using a micro-ethnographic data analysis and a participatory research strategy, we unravel a heretofore unrecognized universe of practice themes and present suggestions for medical education and training aimed at continuous practice improvement.

In this book, we present a novel framework of high-tech modern medicine. Patients going through major high-tech medical interventions, e.g. Advanced Heart Failure (AdHF) patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and heart transplantation, must integrate scientific and technological advances into personal life, including strong emotional experiences unthinkable thirty years ago, novel to themselves and their caregivers and unknown to healthcare professionals. Our book provides a theoretical framework for the person-centered vision to "heal humankind by improving health, alleviating suffering and delivering acts of kindness, one person at a time", we develop the theoretical as well as practical concept of the "RelationalAct (RA) " as core concept to engage and participate in modern medicine.This book will be used as a recommended textbook for the following UCLA Fall 2014 course: Course Director: Professor Federica Raia / Co-Director: Professor Mario Deng Course Title: Educational Perspectives of Relational Practices in Modern Medicine Course Summary: This UCLA course systematically discusses Personhood & Body Concepts in the context of asymmetric Person/Person-relationships in High-Tech Modern Medicine and the diverse implications for building of theories of Relational Practice. Course Topics: Personhood/Body Concepts; Asymmetric Person/Person-relationships; Theories of Relational Practice

In this book, we present a novel framework of high-tech modern medicine. Patients going through major high-tech medical interventions, e.g. Advanced Heart Failure (AdHF) patients undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and heart transplantation, must integrate scientific and technological advances into personal life, including strong emotional experiences unthinkable thirty years ago, novel to themselves and their caregivers and unknown to healthcare professionals. Our book provides a theoretical framework for the person-centered vision to "heal humankind by improving health, alleviating suffering and delivering acts of kindness, one person at a time", we develop the theoretical as well as practical concept of the "RelationalAct (RA) " as core concept to engage and participate in modern medicine.This book will be used as a recommended textbook for the following UCLA Fall 2014 course: Course Director: Professor Federica Raia / Co-Director: Professor Mario Deng Course Title: Educational Perspectives of Relational Practices in Modern Medicine Course Summary: This UCLA course systematically discusses Personhood & Body Concepts in the context of asymmetric Person/Person-relationships in High-Tech Modern Medicine and the diverse implications for building of theories of Relational Practice. Course Topics: Personhood/Body Concepts; Asymmetric Person/Person-relationships; Theories of Relational Practice