M1: Assess the biomedical and socio-medical models of health.

Throughout this assignment I will be assessing the biomedical and socio-medical models of health, I will be linking this back to a case study that I have been provided with which will be shown below.

Case Study:
Martin is 43 years old and has been working as a builder for the past 18 years. He recently had an accident, he fell from a ladder and suffered with a broken leg as well as multiple internal injuries. Martin’s doctor stated he cannot return back to work. This has caused Martin to lose his job as well as his confidence and self-esteem. Martin has now turned to drinking large amounts of alcohol and smoking cigarettes as a way of coping with his job loss.

His wife Angela works as a domestic cleaner and suffers from anxiety and depression. The family lives in a two bedroom flat on a local council estate which is known for having a high crime rate; the flat is damp and very cold in the winter. Angela is finding it difficult to cope with her long hours at work and is now suffering from asthma and bronchitis, which she developed from living in the damp flat. Angela is also suffering from anxiety and depression, she went to see her doctor and he has prescribed her with stronger medication and said it would “help her to cope” with all the demands Angela is facing.

Biomedical Model
The biomedical model of medicine has been around since the mid-19th century as the predominant model used by physicians in diagnosing diseases. The biomedical model of health looks at an individual’s physical health rather than at the psychological and social aspect of their health. The Biomedical model defines health as being free from pain, disease or defect; making sure that the individuals are considered as healthy. According to the biomedical model, every illness has a cause and once Health Care professionals remove the cause this means that the individual can become healthy again.

The model’s focus on the physical processes for example, pathology, biochemistry and physiology of a disease but this does not take into account the role of social factors or individual subjectivity. Unlike the biopsychosocial model, the biomedical model does not consider diagnosis, which can affect the treatment of the patient, it can also be the result of a cooperation between doctor and patient. It is considered to be the leading modern way for health care professionals to diagnose and treat a condition in most Western countries.

Strengths of Biomedical model:
Linking back to the case study which is shown above, it states that Martin has broken his leg and suffered with multiple internal injuries due from falling off a ladder at work. Although Martin is unable to work, 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 for example, 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. In relation to the case study, Martin can visit the doctor who will examine him and provide treatment, he will be offered with physiotherapy for his pain.

Another strength to biomedical model that links with the case study is Angela’s situation with mental disorders. In the second part of the case study it states that Angela suffers with anxiety and depression which can affect her capability of working as a cleaner. A strength of the biomedical model of health is that it aims to make an ill individual ill better again. Due to Angela suffering with these mental disorders, counselling can benefit her by increasing or preventing her chance of suffering with anxiety and depression again. The biological model is known to have a high success rate in treatment which means in Angela’s case she must be given an antidepressant drug in order to feel better. Biological treatments have shown to be successful at treating mental illness, particularly in patients who do not respond well to talk therapy.

Weaknesses of Biomedical model:
Despite there being a couple of strengths there are also weaknesses of biomedical model of health. For instance, it ignores the insightful effect of the environment on people. Linking back to the case study, Angela could have suffered with depression and anxiety due to numerous results such as of lack of employment by her husband Martin which means that all the bills are paid by her, the fact that she lives in an area where the crime rate is high and also the fact that she lives in a cold damp house.

Another disadvantage of the biomedical model of health is that 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 reason how this links to the case study is because 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 which illustrates that Angela may not be eligible to pay for her medication due to lack of money income as her husband Martin is unemployed.

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. In order for individuals to prevent themselves from ill health they need to improve housing and programs 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:
1. Addresses the broader determinants of health
2. Acts to reduce social inequalities
3. Empowers individuals and communities
4. Acts to enable access to healthcare
5. Involves intersectional collaboration

Strengths of socio-medical model:
The socio-medical model encourages people to live healthy lifestyle. A strength of the socio model of health is that it addresses the border causes of health such as, age, gender, culture, social class, education and ethnicity. Linking back to the case study it states that Martin and Angela live in a two bedroom flat on a local council estate. This gives evidence that this family is known to be a working class family as although Martin is not working due to injuries; Angela is still working. Moreover, Martin is known to be drinking large amount of alcohol and smoking cigarettes due to being unemployed which can affect his health negatively. Nevertheless, the socio model of health puts into consideration all these factors and not just the biological determinants, it focuses on how health and wellbeing which can be influenced by broader determinants.

Another strength of the socio model of health is that it empowers individuals and the communities. It gives people a say in how the community is run this illustrates that Angela and Martin can speak to the local council about how they can work together to reduce the rate of crime, it will give them control over decisions and actions that can influence their health status. The social model of health performs to empower individuals through the use of increased health knowledge.

Weaknesses of socio-medical model:
Despite there being a couple of strengths there are also weaknesses of socio-medical model of health. This particular model fails to look at the biological causes of disease and illnesses, it can take a long period of time to look for factors affecting the illness and prevention to stop it reoccurring to improve environmental factors. For example, linking back to the case study Martin had decided to smoke and drink due to not being able to work again, these are two major factors that can trigger his health for the worse and the socio-medical model is known to not have a clear method to identify or display health awareness for individuals who suffer with health concerns and it is unable to explain illnesses where there are no signs and symptoms to make a diagnosis. For instance, not only does Martin drink and smoke but he also suffers with low self-esteem and has lacked confidence.

Changing an individual’s environment and lifestyle choices can consist of different things depending on what the person is experiencing, many individuals take longer to adjust to new changes 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 and wellbeing.