Biomedical And Biopsychosocial Models

Biomedical And Biopsychosocial Models Health may be defined as the absence of disease and infirmary (Stroebe, 2000) or alternatively not merely an absence of disease or infirmary but a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being (World Health Organisation, 1948). One definition more elaborate than the other, the latter suggesting health is effected by other factors that cannot be physically measured. Since the start of evolution people have looked back to try to explain and understand the factors that influence human functions in relation to health and illness. Many theorists developed perspectives and models of health in order to show health professionals how to promote and improve health in society (Wade Halligan, 2004). Two varying models of health, illness and disease will be discussed in this essay and how they could be applied to Dietetics. These models are the biomedical model and the biopsychosocial model. The use of one model over another in healthcare will be reflected on and the one most suitable for use in Dietetics will be highlighted. The biomedical model of illness concentrates on the physical and biological traits of disease, and to cure these traits will cure disease (Engel, 1977). Biomedical theorists have a dualist belief in that the body is a machine only understandable subjectively by its compartments, separate from the mind (Morrisson Bennet, 2006). Much science today stemmed from knowledge of physical diseases from years ago that were treated quickly and efficiently using rules and rationales for treatment, with the resulting consequence being cure, control or death. This biomedical model of health dominated healthcare in the past century as all disease was thought to stem from cellular abnormalities (Wade Halligan, 2004). It was exclusionist in its form in that those who suffered from various social deviation disorders, social adjustments reactions, character disorders, and dependency syndromes would be excluded from mental illness as these disorders arise in those with intact neurophysiological functioning (Engel, 1977). So what were the consequences of those who did not fit into this category? Unfortunately many were forgotten and ignored, or more extremely in the 1700s shock tactics were used to bring them back to being normal (Bernstein Nash, 2008). Alternatively following in a similar framework of the WHOs definition of health, the biopsycholsocial model of health incorporates biological, psychological and sociocultural factors that contribute to someones health. It was Sigmund Freud who first looked at a persons behaviour in the 1920s and investigated how it may reflect their health status; although evidence was limited it built the ground work for interesting studies that would link personality to disease (Morrisson Bennett, 2006). Convincingly, today, it is thought two-thirds of our behaviour can be linked to our health (Morrisson Bennet, 2006). The biopsychosocial model is both objective and subjective in its application. With this, a humanistic approach can be taken and it is thought that behaviour disorders appear when self-actualisation is blocked. The dietitian using this model would look at a persons lifestyle, and social and cultural factors that affect the individuals health behaviour. Reasons behind this behaviour can be established and methods for changing it to improve health can be established. Dietetic assessment encourages the dietitian to identify with the patient potential and actual health problems. While some problems will be linked to specific medical conditions e.g. Chrons Disease, others will be specific to individuals, their psychology and their social and cultural status e.g. obesity (Aggelton Chalmers, 2000). In doing this the patient is more likely to comprehend and accept the advice and therefore comply with treatment. If a biomedical model of assessment was used, a dietitian would be more interested in what is medically wrong with the patient, focus on signs and symptoms, and problems that arise from illness that can be solved. The dietitian would give a general list of rules for the obese patient to comply with to reduce their weight in a general hierarchical manner. Important questions such as, does the patient understand? Can they afford a healthier diet? and what resources do they need to help control further implications of their disease? would ultimately be neglected. As one can see, the patient would have little or no responsibility of the cause of illness and therefore is classed as a victim of circumstance who becomes a passive recipient of treatment by using a biomedical model in consultations (Wade Halligan, 2004). Engel (1977) supported the idea of using a biopsychosocial model in healthcare so as to give care and treatment holistically to patients. He suggests that by integrating an illness into someones life and showing them solutions to problems that may arise encourages a patient to see how they can cope with their illness or disease. In a hospital the function of a multidisciplinary team is to see a disease from every disciplines point of view and to show how each discipline can contribute to the patients individual care and symptom management when living with their illness. This collaboration of ideas will look at medical, social, psychological, cultural, and physical aspects of care. The patient is more likely to engage and comply with interventions if they are happy with their treatment and the practitioners involved (Stroebe, 2000). However when using the biomedical model and setting orders for the patient, a patient-dietitian relationship may be effected which will cause strain on the overall patient outcome, e.g. if a patients concerns are neglected by a dietitian they are less likely to comply with treatment and more likely to get stressed on seeing that dietitian (Engel, 1977). Increase in stress levels like this can increase blood sugar levels and blood pressure during a hospital stay thus affecting a pa tients length of stay in hospital. The evidence suggests that a persons emotional state always reflects their function and presentation of symptoms, hence using a biomedical model in assessment can lead to a practitioner ignoring potential route causes of a patients problem (Stroebe, 2000). A case in point is eating disorders. There are so many avenues that contribute to an eating disorder and no single cause or symptoms can lead to diagnosis but a complex string of symptoms that will lead to a summative diagnosis (National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, 2010). A biopsychosocial model of health would help the practitioner to look beyond the patient sitting in front of them into the various factors in that patients life and how this may affect their eating habits and patterns. By delving further into this patients life the practitioner could get a wider picture of behavioural, psychological, cultural and environmental influences on these patients eating habits. It is recommended in this situation, being very complex, a practitioner would need a variety of motivational interviewing skills and have knowledge of cognitive behavioural therapy (American Dietetic Association, 2001). Alternatively, if a dietitian was to use a biomedical model of health many issues would be left untreated as only the problem of weight loss and malnutrition would be managed, when it is scientifically proven that many other emotional complexities play a pivotal role in eating disorders (ADA, 2001). It could then be summarised then, that from a traditional point of view, using a biomedical model does not allow one to look to reduce mortality rates but rather partially contributes to improvements in healthcare together with other factors such as lifestyle, nutrition, emotions and sanitation. On the other hand by using a biopsychosocial model one can look at health promotion and primary prevention of illnesses and disease (Stroebe, 2000). The WHO (2005) offer ten major lifestyle contributors to over half of the worlds deaths these include, smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, alcohol and obesity. Consequently by using a biopsychosocial model of health a dietitian can highlight contributors of ill-health for a patient at high risk of developing complications or disease. The Dietitian is in a position to help the patient reduce this risk and gain control of their own health, i.e. self-efficacy, through behaviour change techniques. From the literature it is evident to see that using a biopsychosocial model of healthcare incorporates the philosophies of a biomedical model however, the former has wider appeal in that it examines more than biological factors associated with illness and disease. By using a biopsychosocial model one would expect to, highlight areas in healthcare that need to improve, identify places where health promotion needs to be established, and establish the best patient care possible. Although it is not possible to completely neglect the biomedical model, after all, it did lead theorists to further studies and help our healthcare system find cures for specific diseases in the early centuries. However as time goes by research improves and with that healthcare should improve. As a result of all these findings, one can then conclude that a biopsychosocial model of health would be better suited to Dietetic practice. This approach allows one to reflect on individual patients and their needs, and also emphasises Dietitians responsibilities as healthcare professionals to provide holistic evidence based care.

Grapes of Wrath Essay -- essays research papers

Because of the devastating disaster of the dust bowl, the Joad family was forced to leave their long-time home and find work and a new life elsewhere. They, like many other families, moved to California. "The land of milk and honey". The people in the dust bowl imagined California as a haven of jobs where they would have a nice little white house and as much fruit as they could eat. This dream was far from the reality the migrant farmers faced once in California. The dreams, hopes, and expectations the Joads had of California were crushed by the reality of the actual situation in this land of hate and prejudice. The Joads dream of owning a nice white house and being overwhelmed with fruit was quickly put to end after their first night in California. Ma says, "But I like to think how nice it's gonna be, maybe, in California. Never cold. An' fruite ever'place, an' people just bein' in the nicest places, little white houses in among the orange trees." They had been lied to by the handbills and other propaganda that was circulating in the dust bowl region. The growers in California knew that the people of the dust bowl would have to leave their houses because of the crisis. They also knew the more pickers they had the lower they could make their prices. The number of handbills sent out far out numbered the number of jobs available. Many people in the dust bowl were constructing a view of California that was devastatingly false. However most of the people had to go somewhere, and all they knew was agriculture, so the natural thing was to go to the only place in the country at that time that was in peak agricultural condition. This was all true in the case of the Joads. They had no experience with any other kind of lifestyle. They were farmers and they thought that was what they would remain. What they became was job hunters, starving and hungry people, and homeless vagrants. California was no dream land, but the exact opposite. A promised heaven that was revealed to be a very real hell. During the long journey to California the Joads, and other migrant travelers, encountered many warnings of what California was going to be like from migrants who were returning home, mostly destroyed by the true reality of California. They got a warning in the camp they stayed at on the side of the road while Tom, Al, and Casey were fixing the car. There was... ...t at the end of the tunnel because if they stayed where they were they would surely have not survived. The Joads couldn't stay where they were and without a goal to reach, something to look forward to, one just wanders around life aimlessly and hopelessly. They kept the dream alive throughout the journey. Even through the harsh rumors they heard along the road. They still kept that fragment of hope in the back of their heads that California would be everything they hoped it would be. Even in their worst times in California they would still look forward to earning enough money and getting a little white house to live in. Their lives really were destroyed when the dust bowl hit but no one can except those facts so they must tell themselves it will be all right. We will go to California and everything will be even better there than it was here. Unfortunately that wasn't the reality of the situation and the Joads were forced to deal with that harsh reality once in California and on t he hard long journey there. California was no dream land, but rather a sealed fate to a life of fighting for food and watching loved ones die. California was the pain of the migrants summed up in one word.

How to have a relationship Essay

? A relationship is a way of connecting. The connection could be between people or objects. Listening to my grandmother talk about relationships helped me understand how things have completely changed over times. My grandmother stated that relationships where more valued back then and people stayed together for all the right reasons. She informed me that when you loved someone you loved them like no other. When it came to marriage they lasted longer than they do now. Having a relationship with someone was the thing to do. At one time relationships actually had meaning people were with each other because they loved them. This showed me the commitment part of relationships, when people actually stayed faithful to the person they were with. Nowadays men and woman say I love you just for the fun of it. But be honest everyone you know or knew either ant’s a relationship, has a relationship or has played a role in one either as the main lover or the sideline. Relationships are complicated, complex commitments that we take seriously or play around with like a rag doll. Serious relationships start from the mind knowing what it is that you want how you want it and how you’re going to get it is the first step in committing to a relationship. Yes commitment can be very hard to do. Especially when were accustomed to doing things our own way; without having to answer to someone else. Understanding the person you are trying to commit to is a good way to start a serious relationship. It is important to gather as much information as possible and take as much time as needed to ensure that you know the person that you are in a relationship with. Taking the steps and looking at past relationships can help you understand if the relationship might be what you are looking for in life. It is true that no matter how long you have known a person you may never truly know who that person really is. It is also important to know what we want before committing ourselves in. Whether that relationship is a marriage or just a boyfriend/ girlfriend committing to someone should begin with feelings being involved. Relationships become complicated when you have disagreements, other people etc. I feel that it takes two to make a relationship work and if both parties are not commented then it will never work. It’s like the eighty-twenty rule which explains that one person is giving there all and all and the other person only gives what is necessary at that time. How can a relationship work if both parties are not on the same level and are not committed to each other? Complicating in relationships come from problems that we cause ourselves, from not committing or giving our all to the relationship. As for myself I’ve had a few relationships in my day. Some good ones and then some that I would give anything to take back and wish that I had never committed myself to. Not saying that you would have the same outcome as I did but just make sure that the love is real. If we go into a relationship knowing that we are not there for a long time then it makes the relationship less complicated. In these type situations just make sure that you inform the person with how you feel before going into the relationship. It is important to have a clean understanding of what each party wants. Having false feelings in a relationship can be the most hurtful thing when you actually find out so therefore try to avoid coming into these situations. Communication is a huge part of a serious successful relationship. Communicating with your partner is a very good stress reliever and understanding method. Having communication builds trust and loyalty, which are two other things that are very important in a relationship. When a person is in a relationship they expect their partner to be understanding, have good listening skills and be there when they need you. Sometimes it’s just best to sit back and listen to what the other person had to say. You never know what you might learn about your partner if you just listen. Always remember to keep the lines of communication open throughout the relationship. For me, I think that one of my biggest downfalls in previous relationships is the lack of communication between my partner and me. I also have problems with my partner not being able to support himself and maybe even helping me every now and then, don’t get me wrong I’m not asking him to take care of me in no means what so ever but help every now and then would be good. As I did research on the topic of relationships, I learned that there are several steps that can be taken to have a successful relationship. First it is important to ensure that you trust your partner. Does your partner’s communication lift you just to bring you right back down? How do you and your partner deal with conflict in your relationship? Do you have compatible financial values? When you are thinking about starting a new relationship think about some of these questions. They might help you to understand the relationship better and if that’s what you really want. Maintaining a trusting and lasting relationship is going to require some work on both sides and especially in these times. As long as there is trust and communication between both parties then there is a good chance that the relationship will work. I plan to take my time and know the person that I intend to be in a serious relationship with. I don’t want to hurt anyone and I definitely don’t want to be hurt. I look forward to finding love one day that is meaningful and lasting but until then I will continue to inform my partner how I feel and what I am looking for in the beginning. I will ensure the line of communication stays open.

How To Deal With Homelessness - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 716 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2019/03/26 Category Society Essay Level High school Topics: Homelessness Essay Did you like this example? Different Approaches to Dealing with Homelessness Homelessness is a condition that is known by the society. In many countries the population of homeless has been increasing, which requires especial attention from authorities and government. Many factors contribute to the condition of homelessness such as: economic, family breakdown and substance abuse issues. As a result, the interventions might be vast, which may bring different approaches and methodologies to decrease the population of homeless people in the streets, and also empowering them to have a new perspective of life. There are two approaches of homelessness, which took my attention. The first one is the Oasis Book Club that takes place in Boston. This is a group of volunteers that created a small group of people to read and discuss books that are chosen by them. It brings a positive return. As Tobin said in the article on WBUR news (2010): Small groups where they are listened to, where their voice is heard, where they are heard, reinforce that sense of self-worth and value. And thats whats at the core of the book club. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "How To Deal With Homelessness?" essay for you Create order Once invisible and discriminated against, now known and valued for who they are. It brings an interesting experience for those who do not feel part of the society. Even though the approached do not come up with an effective intervention to change their reality, by offering them a shelter as a regular tool that is commonly used by professionals of the field, it influenced them to have a sense of belonging and dignity. An NPR article also highlights Whats so important about the club, is that its members finally feel like someone cares what they think (Tobin, 2010). Therefore, it also makes them have critical thoughts, sometimes might bring them back to life and also change their lives. It happened with one of their members, and the group was one of the reasons that made him change his life. The second project is Housing First that takes place in Utah. They have an idea of taking people that have been living on the streets for months or years, and giving them a house. They believe that giving a home first is more effective than carrying them to shelters. Even though the reason is to try to be less expensive for the state. Those approaches seem to be effective even though they are different from the regular approaches already known by society. Beyond the reality of their condition, it shows others alternatives to give them a sense of belonging and a value that may go beyond their reality. In addition, it can be a good tool for helpers who work with the homeless. Is important that a helper be aware of his or her role in dealing with the homeless. Novel interventions can be helpful, even if these interventions have not been seen by the helper before. Beyond this fact, it is necessary for the helper to learn about the homeless persons reality, which they are set in. If the helper does not understand this process, according to Corey and Corey (2016): You might lose certain clients if you do not demonstrate an understanding of how their culture affects their choices and actions (p.73). In every area of approach Corey and Corey (2016) say: We must embrace our clients worldview and understand their value system to be help to them and to be agents of change and empowerment. Even if we hold a very different set of values, our ethical obligation is to assist clients in meeting therapeutic goals () (p.73). In conclusion, according to what we are reading and listening to in class, regardless of the field that helpers work in, they need to know that sometimes they are going to be a voice for those that do not have a voice to advocate for themselves, and somehow making a positive difference in someones daily life. Even though it takes time to be confident with the work that they are doing. They need to know how important is to deal with culture and different values. Empathy and professionalism make a total difference, principally when a life could be changed by the intervention of a helper, and also be a voice for those that do not have a voice or help to empower them to explore a new perspective on life.