There are many models throughout the world but the models that play the largest roles in the UK, USA, France and a greater part of Western Europe are the biomedical and social-medical models of health.
Biomedical Model
The Biomedical model is the most common way for Health Care professionals to identify the nature of a medical condition in many western countries. The Biomedical model defines health as being free from pain, disease or defect. The model looks at the physical processes that influence individuals for example physiology and pathology of a condition; this does not go under the social or psychological influences that may have an active role in influencing illness. According to the biomedical model, every illness has a cause and once the Health Care professionals remove the cause this means the individual can become healthy again.
Strengths of Biomedical model
The biomedical model shows to be successful for diagnosis and treatment for various diseases. The model is based on scientific knowledge and research; it focuses on the cures for illnesses and diseases. The biomedical model also states that health can be restored by various techniques e.g. surgery, drugs or treatment. The model emphasises facts and testing on biomedicine and that ill health can be found by diagnosis putting into consideration signs and symptoms.
Weaknesses of Biomedical model
It fails to include psychosocial factors that are shown to be the main influences of disease and illness. Individuals play little to no part in the intervention to restore their body back to health, the model does not take into consideration the interpretation of the individual’s health. When trying to restore health back, the biomedical model treats both the body, mind differently, and thinks that finding a cure is more important than finding prevention.
The biomedical model failed to address illness and disease, which does not show any physical signs and symptoms. It also fails to look at the harmful effects that prompt the individual through the effects of treatment by a physician or surgeon. In addition, the use of medical technology and the health system to diagnose and treat conditions is costly for governments. Paying for medications and treatment via the biomedical approach can be expensive for individuals also.
Socio-medical model
This model of health focuses on social factors that contribute to individual’s health and well-being and especially looks at the impact of poverty, poor housing, diet and pollution and in order for individuals to prevent themselves from ill health they need to improve housing and programmes to tackle poverty and inequality. The socio-medical model challenges assumptions made about the medical model, and focuses and emphasises the need to look at wider considerations.
There are five key principles to the social model of health:
- Addresses the broader determinants of health
- Acts to reduce social inequalities
- Empowers individuals and communities
- Acts to enable access to healthcare
- Involves intersectional collaboration
Strengths of socio-medical model
The socio-medical model encourages people to live healthy lifestyles. The model looks at the causes of illness and diseases, and tries to improve the factors that cause illness and prevent this from occurring again. It is widely used by many medical professionals.
Weaknesses of socio-medical mode
It fails to look at the biological causes of disease and illness and can take a long period to look for factors affecting the illness and prevention to stop it reoccurring to improve environmental factors. The socio- medical model doesn’t have a clear method to identify or arrange health problems and it is unable to explain illnesses where there are no signs and symptoms to make a diagnosis. Changing an individual’s environment and lifestyle choices will consist of different things depending on what the person was used to previously, many people take longer to adjust to change whereas others may find it easy to adjust to change, therefore may take a long time and not have a quick response on an individual’s health.
michellebondonga 