Biomedical Vs Biopsychosocial Model

The dominant model used in medicine is the biomedical approach. This approach assumes that illness is due to deviation of biological norm. Because this model approaches illness in a reductionist way a new model by Engel in 1997 was proposed- The biopsychosocial model- where biological, psychological, social factors are all taken into consideration.

This report will compare both biomedical and biopsychosocial model in relation to medicine.

The traditional line of attack to medicine has always been the biomedical approach which is a model that excludes psychological and social factors when it comes to understanding the patient’s illness. It could be said that it looks at only the nature side of the nature nurture debate as only biologic factors

It’s also involved in the development of treatments such as surgical procedures, vaccinations and medications. CITATION Car03 \l 2057 (Carol R. Ember, Melvin Ember, 2003).

The biopsychosocial model as an approach in medicine

Over the years the biopsychosocial approach was developed by Engel CITATION Geo97 \l 2057 (Engel, 1997). He claimed that the biomedical approach was not able to account for the reality of diabetes and schizophrenia.

Engel uses this model to suggest that health disease and wellness are all reliant on the interaction between three factors which are: physiological factors, psychological factors and social factors. According to this model good health cannot be due to biologic factors alone that in fact psychological factors and cultural environments combined with personal history ( ethnicity, genetic make-up, learned behavior, lifestyle) are equally as important in maintaining health. CITATION Var14 \l 2057 (Varnekar, 2014).

Discussion

Although the biomedical approach has dominated health for serval years it has been criticised for many

Generally the influence of this two factors on health is clear. In order to prove this Borg, V. and Kristensen, T. carried out a study to determine the relative importance of social class and health behavior. They found out that people with the lower social class were more than three times likely to report poor health than those of a higher social class. Even though this study relied on a single-self report, where there’s a possibility that participants could exert demand characteristics, the study still showed the effect of social class on health CITATION Vil00 \l 2057 (Vilhelm Borg and Tage S Kristensen,