Biomedical Model: What It Is And What Ideas About Health It Is Based On
Health is one of the great assets of every human being. We treasure it and fight to preserve it, despite the passing of the years and the adversities on the body and mind that are associated with living.
However, defining what health is is not easy. For this purpose, different perspectives have been postulated, most of them coming from philosophical thinking on the ontology of men and women.
The biomedical model is the most traditional , forged in the heat of the positivism of the 18th century. In this article we will define its most essential aspects, as well as its impact on how we understand health and its care.
Human beings are very complex, so any attempt to reduce them to a simple definition is doomed to fall into reductionist biases. The physical, psychological and social dimensions that underlie each of us are evident; and that build the fundamental plots of our organic, mental and interpersonal reality. All of them, in their virtually infinite way of interacting, shape the person in their entirety.
This fact is obvious when we reflect on our nature, but it is not so obvious when we address one of its most fundamental aspects: health. In this area, and for many years, medicine was based on the most absolute of Cartesian dualisms Thus, body and mind would end up being understood as watertight and unconnected entities, governed by different logics and lacking any point of contact.
This is the epistemological and philosophical basis of the biomedical model of health, for which it is limited only to the observable aspects of the organism. Consequently, all diseases could be explained through anatomical or functional changes in tissues, or the action of pathogens external. Its identification would be based on objective and quantifiable signs, while the rest of the factors that could mediate would only be secondary epiphenomena.
The biomedical model understands that any pathology has a single cause, and that since it is purely physical in nature, the action undertaken to resolve it will involve surgical or pharmacological manipulation. To achieve this purpose, two basic strategies would be used: medical diagnosis (through techniques that explore the integrity or function of different organs and systems) and intervention (through modification of the anatomical structure or reestablishment of chemical balance). .
What positive aspects does the biomedical model have?
The biomedical model has a positivist aspect, which is based on the experimental method to determine the mechanisms related to the disease process. For this reason, it has made it easier to draw useful explanatory hypotheses about the functioning of the body and the pathologies that threaten it throughout life. This knowledge has allowed us to generate curative treatments contributing in a relevant way to recovering health when it has been lost.
The survival of this biomedical model, for centuries, is eloquent proof of the benefit that arose from it. However, currently a series of shortcomings are recognized that have motivated qualitative changes in the care offered to sick people.
What negative aspects does the biomedical model have?
The biomedical model It constituted the dominant perspective from the 18th century, and well into the 20th century It is honest to recognize their contribution to the advancement of knowledge about organic factors related to health, which are very relevant, although insufficient to define it comprehensively. Not in vain did the World Health Organization (WHO) describe it, in the preamble to its constitution (1946), as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of infirmities or diseases.” From now on we will delve into some of its limitations as a theoretical model for health.
1. Focus on the physiological aspects of health
In line with the definition proposed by the WHO; Health must be understood as a multifaceted phenomenon in which physical, psychological and social components are expressed in complex and intimate interaction. In this way, a person could not be considered “healthy” when they lacked physical pathologies but suffered from emotional problems, or were isolated from their social and/or cultural environment.
This way of understanding health enables an explanatory framework from which to understand current evidence, such as that body pathologies motivate a process of affective/emotional adaptation or that loneliness reduces life expectancy. The emphasis limited to the organic would, however, obviate potential causes and consequences of some of the most common problems that society faces.
The biomedical model understands the organic as the only variable worth considering, directing all diagnostic and therapeutic resources in this direction. This way of proceeding suffers from a certain reductionism in relation to current knowledge about human health
2. Focus on curing the disease, but not on promoting health
The biomedical model is efficient when it comes to detecting a disease when it is already present, including in the best of cases tertiary prevention (avoiding worsening or physical complications), but neglecting primary prevention (which extends to the entire society). to reduce the prevalence or incidence of a health problem) and secondary (which focuses on those individuals who are in a situation of risk or vulnerability).
3. Restriction in the patient’s decision making
The biomedical model attributes to the health professional an omnipotent role in the entire process, reducing the active participation of the sick person. This passive role considers the patient as a defenseless being in the face of the adversities that they have experienced , and that would act as a simple receptacle for the therapeutic procedures that are decided for him. It is, therefore, a paternalistic prism.
Currently we know that stimulating decision-making in the sick person and their family promotes a greater sense of control over the health situation , which has a positive impact on therapeutic adherence and the prognosis of the pathology. In addition to, obviously, about motivation and emotion. Therefore, one of the functions of those who provide care is to inform about the disease and the options available for its treatment, promoting a sound and consensual choice.
4. Life expectancy and quality of life
The fundamental purpose of the biomedical model is to maintain life, although it does not take into account in the same way the stimulation of its quality. Quality of life is a complex dimension that includes the integration of physical aspects (function of one’s own body, autonomy, pain, etc.), psychological (emotional well-being, satisfaction with existence, etc.) and social aspects (personal relationships, contact with the environment, use of healthcare resources, etc.); that are also linked to the cultural and subjective.
The emphasis on organic can increase life expectancy , but it does not offer any solution to improve its quality beyond maintaining the function. In fact, such an attitude has implied certain iatrogenic consequences in the past, which today they try to avoid (such as therapeutic harshness when trying to avoid the arrival of death in terminally ill patients). Although it is important that life be long, it should not be limited to a simple accumulation of years.
5. Emphasis on labeling
The diagnosis of a health condition, especially in the psychological field, involves the process of abstracting a complex expression to place it in the narrow range of clinical descriptions that appear in manuals designed for this purpose. However, the reality of the problems that compromise psychological integrity tends to prevail over any attempt at classification losing a part of its wealth during identification and labeling.
The diagnosis is relevant to delimit a phenomenon that requires intervention, as well as to facilitate communication between different professionals, although it can also be a heavy burden for the person who receives it. Therefore, it is crucial to weigh the pros and cons that could arise from this, and prioritize efforts in addressing each person’s individual symptoms. The diagnostic emphasis is an inheritance from biomedical traditions, whose usefulness in the field of mental health is always subject to constant debate.
The biopsychosocial model: a path towards integration
The biopsychosocial model of health is based on the weaknesses that have been highlighted for the biomedical perspective; and aims to unite the biological, the social and the psychological into a coherent whole This is a perspective from which the humanization of all health interventions has been advocated, promoting a comprehensive perception of the person not only in the context of their physical vulnerability, but also of their own individuality and the particular needs of he.
Attention to emotional life, motivation or thinking; as well as family and community ties; has facilitated a broader framework in the understanding of health and illness. This overview, which involves the synergistic effort of multiple professionals aimed at covering all human spheres, allows for more complete care along the path that must be taken to recover health and well-being.
