The Biomedical System PDF

Preview

Summary

Download The Biomedical System PDF

Description

The Biomedical System Tamera Roberts 400079731 HLTH AGE 4D03 Dr. Kapiriri September 16th, 2019

The biomedical system of health is a common viewpoint in western societies and mainly focuses on identifying illness and disease by drawing on biological and physical aspects of health and the human body (NRC, 1998). Since it is prominent in the west, it is important to study as it is applied to many studies in health and illness around us. This includes how we are commonly cared for by health care professionals, how we treat illness at home and the overall beliefs we have about medicine. Unfortunately, despite the frequent usage of the biomedical model to prevent, diagnose, and treat illness, it is not always reliable and fails to give full explanation to many forms of illness (Wade, 2004). The biomedical system originates from the late nineteenth century. During this time period research was completed by scientists like Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch (Deep, 1999). In their experiments, they discovered that physiological and biochemical lesions could cause disease (Deep, 1999). Through this research, it was demonstrated that an unaffected person has no inimical symptoms and is healthy, however, an affecting individual develops symptoms is diseased (Deepp,1999). Moreover, health and disease were distinct from each other, it was either one or the other. The biomedical system functions on the beliefs that a disease needs to have an incident, development, diagnosis, and treatment (Engel, 2012). This system is part of a scientific

model and involves a shared set of assumptions and rules based on the scientific method and the principle of reductionism (Engel 2012). More recently, the biomedical system, following the scientific model, uses many medical technologies to make diagnosis and treatment of disease become more accurate and effective (Gong, 2015). Due to new discoveries in this field, different disease-causing pathogens have been found and as a result, so have many prevention methods and treatments (Gong, 2015). In addition, mortality has been greatly reduced (Gong, 2015). Unlike other systems, this field is focused on scientific findings pertaining to physiological aspects of health, thus, designated healers are specifically health care professionals with years of education such as doctors, nurses and scientists. Much of the western world relies on the naturalistic approach to health and medicine. Consequently, the biomedical system is very much a naturalistic system (Foster, 1976). A naturalistic system assumes that illness is a result of impersonal natural causes such as heat, cold, dampness and wind that can be understood by applying the scientific method (Foster, 1976). In essence, the causes upset the natural balance of the body’s elements. This method is mainly restricted to disease (Foster, 1976). Although there have been many advantages and advances in health that revolve around the biomedical model, there are also many limitations to it. Critics say it is incomplete. Biomedical systems encourage quick fix solutions and do not encourage individuals to be responsible for their own health as the focus remains on the condition and not necessarily the root of the cause (Hewa & Hetherington, 1995). In addition to this, many of procedures are based entirely on technology and requires professional health care personnel, who have a high degree of training and specialization, which is very costly to provide and might produce few benefits, even though they are highly regarded in medicine and only a small number of patients can be

treated daily (Hewa & Hetherington, 1995). Moreover, not every condition is treatable using the biomedical model, we see this when looking at many diseases that remained uncured such as Cancer and AIDs. Some conditions may be preventable through other methods such as an individual changing their behavior, however, the biomedical system does not focus on this (Hewa & Hetherington, 1995). In all, the biomedical system has allowed for many advances in the past, however, it is necessary to look at alternative forms of medicine that may better treat certain diseases. There does not have to be one right answer, and perhaps a multidisciplinary system that encompasses different models of health is what is needed.

References Deep, P. (1999). Biological and Biopsychosocial Models of Health and Disease in Dentistry. Journal Of Canadian Dental Association, 65(9). Engel, G. (2012). The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine. Psychodynamic Psychiatry, 40(3), 377-396. doi: 10.1521/pdps.2012.40.3.377 Foster GM. 1976. “Disease Etiologies in Non-Western Medical Systems.” American Anthropologist 78:773-82 Gong, F. (2015). Evolution of human medical model and development course of medical humanistic spirit. An International Journal Of Medical Science, 26(3). Hewa, S. & Hetherington, R.W. Theoretical Medicine (1995) 16: 129. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00998540 National Research Council (US) Committee on New and Emerging Models in Biomedical and Behavioral Research. Biomedical Models and Resources: Current Needs and Future Opportunities. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 1998. 2, Biomedical Model Definition. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK230283/ Wade, D. T., & Halligan, P. W. (2004). Do biomedical models of illness make for good healthcare systems?. BMJ (Clinical research ed.), 329(7479), 1398–1401. doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7479.1398...