How the Biomedical Model of Health Affects Service

The provision of care in specific settings depends on the selected model of health as it outlines the essential aspects that should be considered. This assignment will focus on analyzing how the biomedical and socio-ecological models of health are applied in Watford hospital settings to treat patients and fulfill their basic needs. Moreover, the concepts of health, ill health, and disability also impact the service provision in the selected health setting, meaning that it is also vital to consider these factors when investigating the model employed in the selected healthcare setting. In the Western world, these concepts are central to working with clients and considering every case. For this reason, most approaches used in Watford Hospital can be analyzed in terms of the two chosen models of health. It will help to understand the major advantages and disadvantages, as well as the areas for improvement.

The biomedical model of health is fundamental for the Western world. It views health as the result of biological and physical factors (Farre and Rapley, 2017). Following the given paradigm, health is the absence of disease, meaning that a healthy person is an individual without illness, pain, or disability (Farre and Rapley, 2017). Following this model, Watford Hospital builds its approach to working with clients. The primary task of the unit’s care provision is to ensure that the patients do not have conditions that might affect their physical states and lead to adverse effects, pain, or chronic issues (Our services, no date). At the same time, the socio-ecological model is utilized by Watford Hospital as it realizes the necessity of positive change in the patients’ environments to guarantee that the causes for the emergence of undesired conditions are eliminated. In such a way, the unit uses both approaches as the method to consider the disadvantages of the models and establish the continuity of care.

The employment of both approaches simultaneously is critical for meeting diverse clients’ needs and promoting the nation’s health. For instance, the biomedical approach is conducted and practiced by doctors using different technologies and evidence-based models of care provision (Farre and Rapley, 2017). The hospital offers a wide range of services for clients, starting from treating chronic pain and acute conditions and ending with planned assessments and general evaluation of the client’s health (Our services and departments, no date). Regarding the biomedical approach, specialists focus on collecting information about patients’ health, their comprehensive assessment, and the provision of care necessary for their cases. As a result, Watford Hospital is a critical contributor to the preservation and improvement of the local communities’ health. The focus on the correct understanding of symptoms, their evaluation, and the treatment of diseases leading to their emergence is vital for treating patients within the discussed settings.

However, the modern healthcare sector is characterized by the shift of priorities towards establishing a holistic paradigm to care. The biomedical model becomes more outdated, while the importance of social factors and their favorable impact on the effectiveness of care and outcomes are more evident (Farre and Rapley, 2017). For this reason, Watford Hospital effectively integrates the socio-ecologic model of health. For instance, when treating patients, specialists give attention to aspects of patients’ environments, lifestyles and behaviors as the possible causes for the emergence of the diseases and their development. It means that acute patient states are effectively treated by using available equipment and medications, while doctors give recommendations and educate patients about lifestyle changes to avoid critical outcomes or chronic diseases. Under these conditions, the combination of both health models helps Watford Hospital treat patients and educate them effectively.

The mixture of biomedical and socio-ecological models also promotes establishing the holistic model of care. It implies fulfilling patients’ physical, mental, spiritual, and social needs and attaining higher satisfaction levels (Farre and Rapley, 2017). Following the alternative concept of health, diseases might emerge because of poor environmental conditions, poor dietary habits, or unhealthy lifestyles (Wold and Mittelmark, 2018). Watford hospital recognizes the importance of social factors in treating patients and improving treatment outcomes. That is why holistic care approaches are employed to treat the root causes of diseases. The changes in patients’ physiologies and negative symptoms are treated by using biological and medical treatments, while the patient education and recommendations for family members help to reconsider the setting and minimize the negative impact of various factors. As a result, Watford Hospital tries to consider the disadvantages of both models of health and create a mixed model.

However, regardless of the focus on cultivating a holistic care model, some aspects might require improvement. The socio-ecological model of health requires addressing factors outside the hospital and healthcare setting (Wold and Mittelmark, 2018). It means that prolonging patients’ lives and their protection from diseases depend on the care providers’ ability to employ community resources and interact with authorities to promote positive societal changes (Wold and Mittelmark, 2018). At the moment, Watford Hospital focuses on addressing social determinants of care; however, its efforts are limited to working with patients and their families. At the same time, attaining better outcomes and minimizing incidence requires more significant social change. Thus, although the unit employs a socio-ecological model of health, it lacks resources and opportunities to interact with local communities and guarantee there is a reduced number of factors that might trigger the emergence and development of undesired diseases.

Watford’s hospital approach to providing care and treating patients is also linked to the concepts of health, ill health, and disability. World Health Organization (2005) views health as complete physical, mental, and social well-being. It means that individuals should be free from poor health outcomes and live without constraints (WHO, 2005). However, Watford Hospital mainly focuses on the biological aspects and attempts to protect the physical and mental health of individuals by using medications to ensure they are free from illness. At the same time, the importance of another aspect comprising the concept of health, such as social well-being, is disregarded, which might result in cases of medicalisation or the treatment of non-medical problems by using medications. It can be linked to the lack of attention to social factors and community involvement.

However, the focus on biomedical aspects of health makes Watford Hospital more effective in addressing the idea of ill health. It can be determined as the state whereby individuals cannot function normally in their everyday lives and might feel pain (Amzat and Razum, 2014). Watford hospital’s primary function is to provide service to patients with ill health and manage problems to restore optimal health conditions. The correct vision of the biological causes of various diseases enables professionals to understand poor health and how it should be treated (Amzat and Razum, 2014). In such a way, the hospital employs the idea of ill health when organising its work and providing care to patients, considering their rights and responsibilities and ensuring they return to optimal care conditions.

The construct of disability is another critical factor affecting service provision in Watford Hospital. It is a physical or mental impairment preventing individuals from doing usual activities or participating in social life (Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010, no date). Watford Hospital offers a wide range of services designed to meet the unique needs of this cohort. The Disability Information Service for Hertfordshire provides disabled people with the support they need (Our services, no date). At the same time, the unit focuses on promoting equality and tolerance, which results in training provided to staff to ensure there are no myths or discrimination linked to patients with disabilities (Our services, no date). In this regard, the concept of disability is central to organizing service provision in Watford Hospital and approaches used to provide care to patients. Using specific equipment and cultivating a non-discriminative environment helps clients to enjoy the holistic care approach.

In such a way, the concepts of health, ill health and disability are critical for organizing the work of Watford Hospital. Although it tries to provide patients with the best possible care, there are still some problematic areas. The unit focuses on the biomedical health model, meaning the physiological aspects are the top priority, while social factors critical for health are often disregarded. It might result in using medications in situations when alteration of setting is required. Medicalization is one of the problems arising from the lack of attention to social factors and viewing diseases only from the biological perspective. That is why Watford Hospital considers the aspects of health, ill health, and disability but lacks an understanding of social and environmental factors because of the focus on physiological issues.

Overall, the Watford Hospital organizes service provision in terms of the biomedical and socio-ecological models of health. It attempts to step away from approaches viewing disease as the result of only physiological factors and create a holistic care approach. It implies using traditional medications to treat diseases and recommendations for patients to change their lifestyles and acquire healthy behaviours. However, the hospital lacks an understanding of the social factors as the components of health and their consideration when planning interventions. As a result, there are mostly pharmaceutical approaches to addressing different illnesses. However, the hospital is effective in working with disabled people and understanding their needs. The discussed concepts affect service provision in the selected medical unit and help to understand its current approaches to treating patients.

Reference List

Amzat, J. and Razum, O. (2014) ‘Health, disease, and illness as conceptual tools’, Medical Sociology in Africa, pp. 21–37.

Barry, A. and Yuill, C. (2022) Understanding the sociology of health: an introduction. 5th edn, London: SAGE Publications.

Browne. K (2019) An introduction to sociology. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010 (no date) Web.

Farre, A. and Rapley, T. (2017) ‘The new old (and old new) medical model: four decades navigating the biomedical and psychosocial understandings of health and illness’, Healthcare, 5(4), p. 88.

Our services and departments (no date) Web.

Weiss, G. and Copelton, D. (2020) The sociology of health, healing, and illness. 10th edn, London: Routledge.

Wold, B. and Mittelmark, M. (2018) “Health-promotion research over three decades: the social-ecological model and challenges in the implementation of interventions, Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, 46(20), pp. 20-26.

The World Health Organization (WHO) (2005) Constitution of the World Health Organization. Web.