1. Health and Social Care

2. Lesson 1 10.7.13
• Aims: Must: Understand how Social factors
can contribute to health.
• Know how the Unit is assessed.
• Know the main features of the Biomedical
model
• Know 3 questions to ask when evaluating a
model.
• Evaluate the biomedical model using these 3
questions.

3. • Should: Contribute examples to illustrate the
biomedical model of health
• Evaluate the model using own ideas and
examples.
• Could:
• Show good understanding of the strengths
and limitations of the biomedical model, with
examples.

4. What do I need to Know here?
• Page 302 has the assessment and grading
criteria for this Unit.
• The Unit is not assessed by an exam, but by
assignments marked by your teachers.
• You need to make use of material covered in
class, your own research, and your own
experiences e.g. in placement when
completing the assignments.

5. :
We will ask you to do 2 things:
• We will ask you to do 2 things:
• 1. Produce a booklet investigating and
explaining the need for a new Health Centre in
your locality
• 2. Write up a report/essay or investigation into
patterns of health and illness among different
social groups.

6. What does the ‘Social’ bit of health
and Social Care mean?
• Name at least three social factors that could
affect health
• How could these social factors affect health?
• How important are social factors in health?
• Can social factors by themselves make people ill
or better?
• Think, pair, share your thoughts on this

7. So, social factors can be important to
health..
• But what else is important?
• Obviously biological factors e.g…..
• How about psychological ones? Could these
make you ill or better?

8. We Need to Look at…2 major models of
health
• 1. The medical (biomedical) model
• 2. The biopsychosocial model

9. The medical (biomedical) model of
health
 You have a runny nose, a cough, a sore throat. The
symptoms developed after you sat next to someone
with very similar symptoms last week.
 How do you explain these symptoms?
 What would you recommend as treatment?

10. The medical (biomedical) model of
health
 Most people in our society would explain this in
terms of having contacted a viral infection.
 What else do you know about this condition?
 The symptoms are probably self limiting
 Treatment will be of symptoms rather than cause-
antibiotics are not appropriate
 Think of another example like this.

11. An explanation like this demonstrates
use of the biomedical model
 This has 4 key features:
 1. Reductionism of the cause of illness to the
simplest form ( illness due to a biological
problem-a virus)
 2. A single factor cause for the malfunction (a
specific virus)
 3. A mind- body distinction-The body is
affected, the mind has no role in the illness or
recovery
 4. Deals with illness, not health-The body is
well until/unless it is ill: treatment should aim
to restore normal biological function.

12. The model is Reductionist
 This means it reduces behaviour to explanations
using small parts of the person/animal.
Chemistry
Biology
Psychology
Sociology
Smaller

13. To evaluate a model or theory ...
 Use the three criteria --
 Does the model make sense in everyday situations?
 (does it have intuitive support?)
 Do studies support the model? (Does it have
empirical support?
 Can the model be used?
 Ask these three questions about the biomedical
model and share your answers.

14. So how good is this model?
 Strengths:
 Intuitively it has support if we believe the role of
biology in health
 The model works well with single factor causes of ill
health e.g. Infections, breaks, malfunctions....
It has lead to great advances in medical care and cut
mortality in many societies.
(Lots of empirical evidence of success and uses)

15. But...
 Criticisms include:
 The emphasis on biology and neglect of psychological
and sociological factors in health.
 Many illnesses have multifactorial causes and cannot
be cured by treatment of a single cause.
 How about him?

16. So- the model’s OK, but
another model is needed to
explain what this one can’t
 The model thinks of people as purely biological- so if their biology is
working well, the person is healthy.
 What should be added?
 People are not just biomachines- they are also psychological
and social animals.
 So all of these contribute to their health e.g….
 Consider the obese man- name some biological, psychological and
social factors that might affect his weight.

17. I will not be in tomorrow!
 So work for you to do.
 This can be individual or pairs/small groups.
 Select a condition e.g. diabetes, heart disease, a type of
cancer, high blood pressure, asthma,(or one of your
own)
 For your chosen condition, make a spider chart or
other visual display to show all the biological,
psychological and social factors that might contribute
to the likelihood of having the condition.

18. Biopsychosocial Model of health
 This aims to address some of the problems seen in the
medical model.
 It tries to be less reductionist, taking several levels of
explanation into account.
 Biology Psychology Sociology
 So, psychological and social factors can affect biology,
and biological events can affect psychology and social
behaviour

19. Think of an example...
 Of an illness or condition that would be explained by
the medical model as due to one biological factor.
 Now explain the same condition using this model-
include any psychological/social factors which might
contribute to, and/or be a consequence of, the
condition.

20. So How good is this model?
 Everyday, Intuitive support:
 We are not just biological machines, we are also
psychological and social beings. It is now widely
accepted that our mental state can affect our biology-
a more holistic approach than the medical model
 From studies, Empirical, and Uses:
 Biological treatment alone does not always work as
well as it should. Including psychology and sociology
can improve outcomes
 http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2013/feb/19/patie
nt-stomach-psychology-obesity?INTCMP=SRCH

21. But:
 It can be much more difficult to diagnose, measure
and affect psychological and social factors than
biological ones.
 Changing psychological, and especially social factors
can be very expensive and take a long time

22. Lesson 1 10.7.13
• Aims: Must: Understand how Social factors
can contribute to health.
• Know how the Unit is assessed.
• Know the main features of the Biomedical
model
• Know 3 questions to ask when evaluating a
model.
• Evaluate the biomedical model using these 3
questions.

23. • Should: Contribute examples to illustrate the
biomedical model of health
• Evaluate the model using own ideas and
examples.
• Could:
• Show good understanding of the strengths
and limitations of the biomedical model, with
examples.