M1 Compare the medical and the social models of health
Definitions of health
The World Health Organisaton WHOO is an internatonal organisaton that aims to build and
establish a beter and healthier future. It aims to achieve this by combatng infectous and non-
communicable diseases across the globe. It uses knowledge and support from governments and
charites to be able to help individuals with access to health and social care provision. In 1948 the
World Health Organisaton deened health as the "complete physical, mental and social well-being”.
Who deened health as the physical, mental, emotonal and social wellbeing of an individual. It is the
ability of the body to be able to bounce back return to a previous functoning state of good healthO
from illness and disease as it is able to cope with new threats. who 2018O.
Good physical health of an individual would refer to bodily functons working efectvely and
efficiently. This can come about by there being a lack of disease and illness as well as a person
partcipatng in regular exercise and eatng a balanced nutritonal diet. Good mental health of an
individual would refer to a person’s enjoyment of their life, the ability to achieve their full potental,
a feeling of safety and security and the ability for them to be able to adapt afer difficult life
experiences. A person’s overall health can be considered as a positve and negatve viewpoint.
Positve views of health refer to the state of someone’s physical and mental wellbeing. Whereas a
negatve viewpoint of health can be considered as the absence of illness and disease. eomeone’s
health can be infuenced by external environmental and social factors and by genetc infuences. A
person’s age, gender, diet, level of exercise, educaton, relatonships, lifestyle, genes, social class,
environment and screening for illnesses and diseases all can infuence and impact someone’s health.
medicalnewstoday 2017O.
The medical model of health also known as the biomedical modelO focuses solely on biological
processes being the route cause for illness and disease. The model ignores patent’s subjectve
feelings or their medical history so is purely objectve. It focuses on laboratory tests and technology
in the diagnosis, management, examinaton and treatment of patents. These tests include x-rays,
blood tests, mammograms, ultrasounds, medicines, scans and surgeries. This is in order to minimise
and cure illness and disease and there impacts and efects. The health model considers health to be
the freedom from disease and illness. This is a negatve viewpoint of health as it focuses on the
absence of illness. The medical model of health ignores psychological, environmental and social
infuences on health and wellbeing as it suggests that the underlying cause of illness and disease is
biological infuences. eciences involved in the identecaton and analysis of illness and disease
includes biology, biochemistry, physiology and pathophysiology. wisegeek 2018O. The medical
model is applied in health and social care setngs in order for the patent to return to good health.
The symptoms that patents experience are analysed by a health professional and are prioritsed to
identfy if there are biological infuences such as genetc malfunctons or hereditary illnesses.
Laboratory tests will be used in order to return the patent back to a functonal role in society.
Professionals involved in this process are thought to have power over patents as they have
knowledge about illnesses and diseases. This could mean that input from patents can be ignored
and dismissed. mentalhealthnursetraining 2018O.
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