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Models, muddles and medicine.

R J Holden1

  • 1School of Humanities, Deakin University, Victoria, Australia.

International Journal of Nursing Studies
|January 1, 1990
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Healthcare professionals often criticize the medical model for reducing patients to their diagnoses. This perspective argues that dehumanization occurs when practitioners focus solely on illness rather than the whole person.

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Area of Science:

  • Medical Sociology
  • Nursing Theory
  • Philosophy of Medicine

Background:

  • A prevalent attitude among nurse practitioners and educators criticizes the medical model.
  • This criticism stems from a desire to reject diagnostic reductionism and promote holistic care.
  • The medical model is perceived to encourage viewing patients solely through the lens of their diagnosis, leading to dehumanization.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze the origins of the negative perception of the medical model in healthcare.
  • To explore the argument that the medical model inherently leads to patient dehumanization.
  • To differentiate between the model itself and its application by practitioners.

Main Methods:

  • Conceptual analysis of the medical model's role in patient perception.

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  • Examination of the philosophical underpinnings of holistic versus reductionist care.
  • Literature review on nursing and medical attitudes towards diagnostic practices.

    • Main Results:

    • The tendency to reduce patients to their diagnoses is not an inherent flaw of the medical model.
    • Practitioner behavior, not the model itself, is responsible for objectifying patients.
    • The focus on diagnosis can lead to dehumanization when practitioners fail to see the 'whole person'.

    Conclusions:

    • The medical model does not necessitate the dehumanization of patients.
    • Individual practitioners are responsible for how they apply diagnoses and interact with patients.
    • Adopting a 'whole person' approach requires conscious effort from healthcare providers, irrespective of the medical model.