Biopsychosocial Model Essay

"I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy and understanding may outweigh the surgeon 's knife or the chemist 's drug" (Lasagna, 1964). When one begins medical school, it is easy to forget the purpose of all the biochemical and biological theory. In medical school, one spends years learning about the biological functioning of the human body and this can make some people immune to the fact that they will someday be treating real frightened people in a state of despair, illness or other state. This module has helped me along the path of becoming emotionally intelligent and ready for the workplace. I have learned a lot, although if someone were to ask me to specify what exactly I have gained

The second concept which inspired me was that of the 'Biopsychosocial Model ', a modern approach to healthcare that contrasts with the traditional view of diagnosis, treatment and care. Traditionally, the patient was examined as a whole organism and then examined at tissue, cellular and molecular level., i.e. the patient was only examined at a biomedical or biological level. Nowadays, the physician is encouraged to see the patient as part of a family group, peer group and wider society. The physician must diversify his/her approach to include a small amount of counselling, necessary in order to examine a patient 's interactions with his family, peer group and society as a whole. These non-biological issues may actually be the cause of a biomedical problem. Traditionally, treatment was administered for immediate problems. Illness was typically seen as the manifestation of disease, which can be cured solely by treating the body. In 1977, George L Engel identified that illness has biological, psychological and sociological dimensions. This can be used in the diagnosis and management of illness by identfying the reasons for patients presenting to doctors and dealing with the true causes. A key point to note is Engel 's differentiation between the similar terms 'illness ' and 'disease '. Illness is the subjective experience of ill health. Disease, on the other hand, is a pathological phenomenon which may be the cause of illness, but disease can also occur in the

Finally, before I began this module, it would never have occured to me that patients wouldn 't take their medications. It seemed logical to me that patients would be interested in getting better as quickly as possible, and so they would comply with the instructions regarding their medication. I have learned that this way of thinking is somewhat naive and that there exist numerous reasons why patients might not take their medications (correctly) and that it is the physician 's responsibility to be aware of non-adherence. As Hippocrates once said: "Keep a watch...on the faults of the patients, which often make them lie about taking the things prescribed. For through not taking disagreeable drinks, purgative or other, they sometimes die"(Huth and Murray, 2006). A chronic disease is different to an acute disease in that chronically-ill patients (e.g. a diabetic patient) must practice self-management and look after their own conditions. In order for this treatment to be effective, the physician must establish a patient-professional partnership and educate and collaborate with the patient so that he/she can look after themselves. Decisions regarding the patient 's care are shared between the physician and the patient, as the physician has the knowledge while a patient who has an input into their own care is more likely to co-operate with the treatment (and take any necessary