M2: Analyse how the biomedical and an alternative model of health and concepts of health,
ill health and disability affect service provision in a local health and social care setting.
CASE STUDY:
Alf is 60 years old and a laboratory technician. He lives alone in a large house that he cannot afford to
heat well, so he struggles to keep warm. He is lonely and depressed. He has never enjoyed cooking
and usually eats ready-meals or take- away food. His house is unclean, untidy and fast deteriorating.
He smokes heavily and does not exercise. Every winter, he suffers from bronchitis and has recently
been diagnosed with lung cancer. Alf is poor and has no interest in looking after himself.
I am now going to analyse how the biomedical and an alternative model of health and concepts of
health, ill health and disability affect service provision in a local health and social care setting. The local
setting I am going to choose is the Royal London Hospital. For ill health, the biomedical model of health
focuses on purely biological factors and dismisses psychological, environmental, and social influences. It
is considered to be the leading modern way for health care professionals to diagnose and treat a
condition in most Western countries. The health system is still run on a very traditional biomedical
model of health care that doesn’t entirely meet people’s requirements. For instance, up to a quarter of
people attending GP’s does not have a primary medical need. In hospitals for example, the health
system is stuck in a self-fulfilling cycle. They commission services that they know about, and usually keep
to pathways they’re acquainted with. Hence, as a result, outcomes of care aren’t improving at the pace
they’d like. (The Health Foundation, 2019) The model does not consider all aspects of a person’s life
when providing care to patients which may be an significant factor that may be instigating the patient to
have ill health; hence the reason why this would be disregarded if they follow the biomedical model.
When linking the biomedical model to the Royal London Hospital, the model suggests that patients are
more-or-less passive followers of their doctor’s orders, further to a diagnosis and prescribed therapy.
With the use of the biomedical model of health, doctors consider the patient as a body that is ill. They
handle, explore and treat the disease independently from their mind and other external measures.
(Allassignmenthelp.co.uk, 2019) From the case study, it does not seem as if Alf had a disability, however,
the biomedical model would affect service provision when it comes to disability in hospitals because it
would recommend correcting the deficit within the individual and providing medical, vocational, or
psychological rehabilitation services rather than accommodate for the disability such as provide
wheelchair ramps in the hospital.
The biomedical model can be linked to Alf. The biomedical model suggests that mental disorders are
brain diseases and highlights pharmacological treatment to target presumed biological abnormalities.
They treat mental disorders for example; in the same way as a broken arm, as it thought to be a physical
cause. This model has been adopted by psychiatrists rather than psychologists. Since Alf has depression,
the biomedical model will consequently consider symptoms to be outward signs of the inner physical
disorder and believe that if symptoms are grouped together and classified into a ‘syndrome’ the true
cause can eventually be discovered and appropriate physical treatment administered. Alf also has
physical health conditions such as bronchitis and lung cancer. According to the biomedical model, the
professionals with adequate knowledge must treat Alf. The treatment must take place in an
environment that allows the use of medical technology. This links to health as Alf has no interest in
looking after himself and the biomedical model states that the sick person is responsible for looking
ill health and disability affect service provision in a local health and social care setting.
CASE STUDY:
Alf is 60 years old and a laboratory technician. He lives alone in a large house that he cannot afford to
heat well, so he struggles to keep warm. He is lonely and depressed. He has never enjoyed cooking
and usually eats ready-meals or take- away food. His house is unclean, untidy and fast deteriorating.
He smokes heavily and does not exercise. Every winter, he suffers from bronchitis and has recently
been diagnosed with lung cancer. Alf is poor and has no interest in looking after himself.
I am now going to analyse how the biomedical and an alternative model of health and concepts of
health, ill health and disability affect service provision in a local health and social care setting. The local
setting I am going to choose is the Royal London Hospital. For ill health, the biomedical model of health
focuses on purely biological factors and dismisses psychological, environmental, and social influences. It
is considered to be the leading modern way for health care professionals to diagnose and treat a
condition in most Western countries. The health system is still run on a very traditional biomedical
model of health care that doesn’t entirely meet people’s requirements. For instance, up to a quarter of
people attending GP’s does not have a primary medical need. In hospitals for example, the health
system is stuck in a self-fulfilling cycle. They commission services that they know about, and usually keep
to pathways they’re acquainted with. Hence, as a result, outcomes of care aren’t improving at the pace
they’d like. (The Health Foundation, 2019) The model does not consider all aspects of a person’s life
when providing care to patients which may be an significant factor that may be instigating the patient to
have ill health; hence the reason why this would be disregarded if they follow the biomedical model.
When linking the biomedical model to the Royal London Hospital, the model suggests that patients are
more-or-less passive followers of their doctor’s orders, further to a diagnosis and prescribed therapy.
With the use of the biomedical model of health, doctors consider the patient as a body that is ill. They
handle, explore and treat the disease independently from their mind and other external measures.
(Allassignmenthelp.co.uk, 2019) From the case study, it does not seem as if Alf had a disability, however,
the biomedical model would affect service provision when it comes to disability in hospitals because it
would recommend correcting the deficit within the individual and providing medical, vocational, or
psychological rehabilitation services rather than accommodate for the disability such as provide
wheelchair ramps in the hospital.
The biomedical model can be linked to Alf. The biomedical model suggests that mental disorders are
brain diseases and highlights pharmacological treatment to target presumed biological abnormalities.
They treat mental disorders for example; in the same way as a broken arm, as it thought to be a physical
cause. This model has been adopted by psychiatrists rather than psychologists. Since Alf has depression,
the biomedical model will consequently consider symptoms to be outward signs of the inner physical
disorder and believe that if symptoms are grouped together and classified into a ‘syndrome’ the true
cause can eventually be discovered and appropriate physical treatment administered. Alf also has
physical health conditions such as bronchitis and lung cancer. According to the biomedical model, the
professionals with adequate knowledge must treat Alf. The treatment must take place in an
environment that allows the use of medical technology. This links to health as Alf has no interest in
looking after himself and the biomedical model states that the sick person is responsible for looking
