Medical Model and Social Model of Health - Assignment Example

This means every illness has another dimension, the dimension of perspective that deals with the ways that people explain and deal with illness and health. These perspectives may be unique, but the traditional medical model traditionally has tended to ignore these (Hart, 1985). In this assignment different such views from each school of thought will be dealt with backed by evidence from literature. It is hoped that the findings may be helpful in understanding of diseases from all angles so care delivery becomes more complete.

Healthcare professionals work with patients in an established framework guided by medical and clinical insights. Obviously, this framework provides a narrow focus, although numerous people visit their care practitioners or clinicians daily for various reasons. The same is applicable for patients who are being treated in the hospitals as inpatients. Obviously, the reason for such care is illness. However, the question arises, is illness the only cause There are many reasons for which people deal with healthcare professionals, who are supposed to provide healthcare. . It seems the medical model of care is placing extra attention to the medical part and the care part is gradually going into oblivion.

Gradually mounting technological advances have indeed some role to play, but negligence about the existence of the social aspect of the care is also an important contributing factor. Many recent evidences suggest that "failing to effectively communicate about illness and treatment are the most frequent source of patient dissatisfaction" (Coulter 2002). Why does this discrepancy arise Research has now shown that there is a sociological aspect of health which plays a very prominent role in the patients.

As an example, the issue of health beliefs can be considered. The patients' beliefs about health and disease have been implicated in health-related behaviours, uptake of health promotion and health education, perception of the symptoms, and in the patient-professional communications. In the medical model, beliefs were known to exert no significant effect, but they indeed can influence the experience of illness and even symptoms like pain. Acknowledgement of this fact from the social model may foster communication in the medical model, and a better understanding of the disease may lead to better outcome in medical treatments (St Claire et al., 1996).Mills (2000) has indicated that every time a patient and a care professional interact, the context would invariably be socially structured.

Therefore, the personal experiences of these encounters must be understood within the frameworks of social and institutional relationships. Taking the case of coronary artery disease, it is now known that lifestyle associated risk factors play very important roles in genetically susceptible individuals. Cardiology practice is