Comparison of Biomedical and Psychosocial Models in Health and Illness

This essay compares and contrasts the biomedical and psychosocial models in health and illness, discussing their differences, similarities, and approaches to care. It explores how the biomedical model focuses on physical factors and the psychosocial model considers biological, psychological, and social factors. The essay also examines how both models construct disability and provide solutions for care and support.

Introduction To Health And
Social Care

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY...................................................................................................................................3
What are the differences or similarities between them...............................................................3
How does the biomedical model deal with health and illness....................................................4
How does the psychosocial model deal with health and illness..................................................4
How the medical model constructs disability as due impairment & solution to 'fixing'
problem- how this relates to type of care and support given......................................................5
How the psychosocial model constructs disability as due society and solution to 'fixing'
problem- how this relates to type of care and support given......................................................6
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................7

INTRODUCTION
Health & social care refers an industry with group of medical professional to conduct
clinical practices for providing care facilities to people. It includes their efforts and different
procedures or activities that are carry out or making an individual well-being (Farre and Rapley,
2017). However, it consist various specialised professionals like nurse, specialist, psychologist,
surgeon, pathologist and many more. In context of this essay, it will focus comparison and
contrast among psychosocial & biomedical models in health as well as illness. It will also
include way of both models to deal with health & illness among with similarities or differences
between them.
MAIN BODY
What are the differences or similarities between them.
Biomedical model can be described as an effective framework which states about
situation of an individual with complete absence of any disease, pain and defect. It is responsible
for considering the entire human body condition which do not have any kind of minor or major
health problem. However, this model provide views that largest threats in relation to healthy life
are observed to be viral and bacterial ailments in pure manner including influenza, diarrhoea and
tuberculosis. This framework perform to eliminate the sickness through evaluating pathology of
particular health problem. Initially, biomedical model focus on illness but not on health and only
looks for single cause by avoiding contributory factors. However, it describe specific disease by

simple possible procedure and believe that people are not responsible for their sickness
(Westphal, 2019). Moreover, this framework has an assumption that absence of disease is
consider as physical well-being.
Psychosocial model can be explained as a framework with composition of three essential
elements such as psychological, biological and social ideologies. This model states that these
components must be consider while focusing of health an individual. Meanwhile, it includes the
criterion of carry put various clinical procedures include wide spectrum of psychological
situations and social factor like economic & social background. Psychosocial model consider
biological, social & psychological factors in terms of improving health. It is a multifactorial
theory to consider many causes and their various impacts. This model has way of focusing on
entire human body and consider fact that health get affecting by individual's behaviour.
Additionally, this model assumes about continuum among illness and health that must consider
as a system.
How does the biomedical model deal with health and illness
Biomedical model has a criterion to focus on biological or physical factors of health
issues or sickness. It is considered by care practitioners in terms carry out relevant diagnosis,
cure and treatment in relation to specific disease. However, it consist to identify actual cause of
particular health problem to provide appropriate care facilities for removing actual cause of
disease to cure the problem. This fact about the model us helpful to consider itself as a Curative
framework (Ahmed and et. al., 2016). Meanwhile, biomedical model has a concept to focus on
particular illness and appropriate treatment procedure which is sufficient to make an individual
disease free. In addition to this, most of the care professionals utilise biomedical model because
it deal with health problems by considering medicine or health in which physician can fix the
condition whereas patient play passive role. Moreover, it will focus to provide accurate
medication regarding specific problem of an individual in order to make them well-being.
On the other hand, biomedical approach has two aspects which are required to be
followed by care professionals including diagnosis and intervention. It is necessary to conduct
relevant diagnosing process to determine actual cause behind particular disease. However, it will
provide support to establish more effective as well as efficient interventions to deliver
appropriate medical facilities for wellness of an individual. This model can be consider as
reductionist because it define any kind of health issue in simple way to deal with it properly.

Moreover, it will facilitate to deal with specific disease in order to determine cause of it by
accurate diagnosing process for making care plan intervention to render appropriate medications
respectively (Tilburg, 2017).
How does the psychosocial model deal with health and illness
Psychological model can be described as an important framework to deal with various
health problems to provide correct treatment for well-being of a patient. This model given that
biological status, ethnic, socio-economic all are homogeneous, a behaviour is risk taking in
population its a function of interaction direct, additive effects.
Most of the people don't consider, that we cant use our mind directly to determine objects
which observed outside and cant conveyance to one place to other place by way of thoughts. The
example at starting of books that identify us that our mind is determiner the body, cant raise
things to explore our mind. The psychosocial model shows illness and health behaviours as
products of behavioural factors, social conditions, family relationships, cultural influences. They
consider developing treatment matter which can modify the attachment to medical treatments,
smoking, weight loss program etc. They concentrate on intervention an prevention program
which is planned to encourage a healthier lifestyle. The Psychosocial model of health and illness
which is determined by impulsive interaction between psychological, social, biological factors.
In this preventative deals with this model its prevent toxic stress, trauma, adverse childhood
experiences, and they aware by traumatic stress reactions of children's health and functioning
into their routine (Zale, Ring and Vranceanu, 2018). And It is important for whole person to take
care for diagnosis, holistic psychosocial relate healing body, soul, mind of a person. It is a
method that ensure for all parts of a individual in psychosocial model of health and illness.
There are five states of holistic care of person in psychosocial that is spiritual, emotional, social,
intellectual, mental etc.
How the medical model constructs disability as due impairment & solution to 'fixing' problem-
how this relates to type of care and support given
According to the medical model, it has been analysed that it is favourable to present
specific health problem along with is cause to provide proper treatment. It plays an important
role to construct simplest description of particular disease in terms of making correct decision for
providing an appropriate treatment. However, it relies on two specific aspects including
diagnosing and intervention which facilitate to provide accurate solutions for specific disease

which are suitable in relation to achieve wellness of an individual. In addition to this, diagnosing
consist various procedures and activities such as X-ray, CT scan MRI, SPECT, Blood test,
physical examination and many more. Meanwhile, intervention can be explained an effective
clinical steps in terms of delivering netter medical services to improve patients outcomes
(Mauksch, Peek and Fogarty,2017). Moreover, specific intervention are required to be planned
by proper efforts of care professionals to remove the threats of medicinal mistakes and relevant
complications to make patient well-being as soon as possible.
Considering the criterion of Medical model, it has been evaluated that effective cause
behind particular disease can be identified by diagnosing methods. It is very important
understand the cause of visible symptoms related to health problem to make accurate decision
regarding treatment. Meanwhile, it is observed that aspect of diagnosing is beneficial as make
care professionals capable to establish possible and suitable solutions for particular health issues
to solve it. Moreover, Diagnosis is able to fix specific diseased condition on which medical
practitioners can work and deliver appropriate care services or medications to wellness of an
individual.
How the psychosocial model constructs disability as due society and solution to 'fixing' problem-
how this relates to type of care and support given
Considering the three important aspects of psychosocial model like biological,
psychological and social factors, it has been analysed to specific cause of disease and possible
solution. This framework is responsible for identifying the the impact of selected elements in
health of people which should be consider while providing care facilities for well-being of an
individual. However, the care professionals should focus on social, psychological and biological
status of a person to establish appropriate decision for making an individual well-being. In
addition to this, it is necessary to focus on specific aspects like Right based approach in which
right of patient should be fulfilled while dealing with them. Moreover, it is essential to consider
right to choose, right to have equal access to health care facilities, right to information and
relevant other rights. It is suitable for eliminating complications and gain better patient outcomes
respectively.

CONCLUSION
From the above essay, it has been concluded that health care professionals use effective
models for providing more effective as well as efficient care facilities to people. It includes the
difference between biomedical and psychosocial model with their basic criterion. However,
biomedical model only focus on illness not on health whereas psychosocial model consider three
elements like biological, psychological & social. However, These model have their own role to
understand particular cause behind specific health problems which facilitate to make appropriate
treatment decision for deliver in accurate care facilities to people for their wellness.

REFERENCES
Books and journals
Farre, A. and Rapley, T., 2017, December. The new old (and old new) medical model: four
decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and
illness. In Healthcare (Vol. 5, No. 4, p. 88). Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing
Institute.
Westphal, M.P., 2019. Utilização do diagnóstico em saúde mental: a percepção de usuários e
familiares de um centro de atenção psicossocial.
Ahmed, S.M. and et. al., 2016. Psychosocial influences on health.
van Tilburg, M.A., 2017. Integration of biomedical and psychosocial issues in pediatric
functional gastrointestinal and motility disorders. In Pediatric
neurogastroenterology (pp. 71-80). Springer, Cham.
Zale, E.L., Ring, D. and Vranceanu, A.M., 2018. The future of orthopaedic care: promoting
psychosocial resiliency in orthopaedic surgical practices. JBJS, 100(13), p.e89.
Mauksch, L., Peek, C.J. and Fogarty, C.T., 2017. Seeking a wider lens for scientific rigor in
emerging fields: The case of the primary care behavioral health model.