Essay on Assess the Biomedical and Socio-Medical Models of Health

As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘health’ is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). The health and wellbeing of individuals is generally determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon referred to as the social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as:

Also sociologists believe that the focus on a particular patient for whom a cure should be found for is limited. As little concerned is paid to environmental and social factors that may lead to ill-health. The biomedical approach tends to focus more on the individual while ignoring the environmental factors that may cause disease.

But over the past few decades, the definititon and concept of health has evolved to encompass more elements than just the physical well-being of a person. This is partly attributed to various researches and studies that have taken place around the world in the last 60 years. Already in 1948, the World Health Organization declared that health is “a state of complete physical, mental and social well being and not

Under the medical model, health is defined as a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and not just the absence of disease or infirmity.

Two of the three models of health and healing discussed by Dossey (1999) were Era II Body/Mind Model of the 1950s and Era III Body/Mind/Spirit Model of the 1990s. According to Dossey (1999), post World War II the Medical Doctors noticed that there was proof that the functioning of the human body can be affected by other factors such as stress and emotions which, can lead to diseases such as ulcers and high blood pressure. This model brought to light the realization that treating the human body is complex because when the physical body is not well the mentation of the patient is affected resulting in exacerbation of other

Social determinants of health encompasses ethnicity, gender and social class. It is seen as the essential

A biopsychosocial model is a deep interrelation of all of this three-factor such as biological factors(genetic and physical history), psychological factors (cognition, will, and emotions), and social factors (socioeconomic status, culture, religion, and technology). When a combination of all of this three-factor working together, it will lead to an outcome of an illness, however, each of this factors on its own is very insufficient to lead to an

Since the mid-19th century, there have been three distinct models of health and healing. The first era began in the mid-1960s and dealt primarily with the physical body. It is known as the mechanical model and focused solely on the anatomy and physiology of the body. It was physical in nature, and gave no consideration to the mind or spiritual side of the human being.

The Public Health Model and the Medical Model are two different perspectives of what health is, as well as the means of achieving and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The Public Health Model or Ecological Health Model, as it's more appropriately called, takes into account the various external forces that can afflict or benefit a person's health. On the other hand, the Medical Model focuses on the internal forces that affect a person's health.

Another model of health that evolved over time is the physical-mind model. This model purports that a person’s overall state of health or ability to heal can be affected on how or what they think. For instance, that depression or anxiety can negatively impact a critically ill patient’s ability to heal. It also recognized that feelings or emotions can physically manifest as illness. For example, someone who is extremely anxious can give themselves an ulcer, without doing something to physically harm themselves. Simply being under significant stress can cause a physiological response to stimulate the creation of more stomach acid and wears a hole in the lining of the stomach, creating an ulcer. When using this model of health, doctor and nurses can treat a person, mind and body, when they have an illness.

1) List and describe the four functional components of the quad-function model. The four functional components of the quad-function model are financing, insurance, delivery and payment. The importance of financing is to obtain health insurance or to pay for the health care service. Insurance is service that covers the costs or loses incurred when an insured get medical /healthcare services.

As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘health’ is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). The health and wellbeing of individuals is generally determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon known as the social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as:

The biopsychosocial model of health is a multidimensional approach to health (Lecture 1, 2014). It focuses not only on the biology or physiology of a person, but also includes the psychology of a person and the manner in which society and culture influence health as well (Gurung, 2014). It was developed in the 21st century as an important theoretical framework to approaching health and medicine (Richtig, Trapp, Kapfhamer, Jenull, Richtig & Trapp, 2016).This approach makes the assumption that the mind and body connection is not only relevant but also vital to a person’s entire well being. It takes a holistic approach when treating an individual and can improve health in the

Q1. Which model of health would be the most suitable for you to use and why?

Technology, inventions, science, cures, research, medicine and medical practice have all changed and grown over the past 150 years as the human race gains a greater understanding about the world around us. It is therefore undeniable that medical models of health should follow in this trend, from the introduction of generalised treaties such as the Alma Ata to specified reports such as that of the Black report have help guide models of health towards that of the social model and away from the previously prevalent biomedical model; therefore better accommodating the diseases that the world faces today such as Rheumatic Fever or Rheumatic Heart Disease.