Biopsychosocial Model

2317 Words10 Pages
For this essay, I am being asked to identify and describe three ideas or concepts which I have learnt from the BH1002 module that I believe will help me and influence my behaviour when I qualify as a doctor. The three concepts from the module that I feel will help me the most as a future health professional are: -The Biopsychosocial Model, theorised by psychiatrist George L. Engel -The importance of solid relationships and communication with patients -The fact that doctors are human too, thus having limits and occasionally making mistakes. In today’s rapidly-evolving world of medicine, there is more emphasis than ever on the holistic treatment of the patient, rather than simply curing them of disease. At this point, it is important to note…show more content…
The biopsychosocial model enables us to understand how disease and illness are affected by multiple factors. It is a way of understanding the patient’s subjective everyday experiences as a crucial contributor to accurate diagnosis and health outcomes. (1) This relatively modern approach to healthcare (first espoused in 1977) seeks to broaden the perspective on illness by taking into account not only the biological, but also psychological and social factors which may have an influence on sickness, and consequently on the course that healing takes. This approach allows for the identification of non-biological influences which may interfere with an individual’s capacity to heal. (2) The Biopsychosocial model was proposed as an alternative to the Biomedical model (commonly used by doctors since the mid-19th century). The Biomedical model is based on the concept of the human body as a biological machine, a machine that can be repaired if something goes wrong with it.…show more content…
This method, which involves the patient retelling the doctor exactly how he/she is going to take his/her treatment, is especially important if the doctor is concerned about the patient’s literacy levels. In other words, the ‘teach-back’ method can be an effective method to educate the patient and assess their learning. (8) Studies have shown that 40-80% of the medical information that patients receive is forgotten immediately (9) and that nearly half of the information retained is incorrect (10). Therefore, asking individuals to ‘teach-back’ treatment information allows the doctor to find out there and then the extent to which the patient understands and remembers what they have just been told. Specific points can be clarified immediately, and patients can be asked again to teach-back the information to ensure their comprehension. This approach is called the teach-to-goal strategy, a method of education that repeats material until patient understanding is achieved. (11) By employing this method in my surgery as a future doctor, I will be able to ascertain just how much my patients actually understand about their treatment, and then I will be in a position to provide them with extra explanation if necessary. I believe that this will
Open Document