The Medical Model Of Service Delivery - Free Essay

The medical model is used to deliver services to individuals who are sick. It is founded on the belief that mental disorders and other illnesses are the main problems that impairs their functioning because they have organic basis. The medical model is also developed on the understanding that the diseases or mental disorders can respond to specific medical interventions and that is why medication, laboratory research and other intervention provide by the physicians working in hospitals and clinics.

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The Public Health Model

This public health model is almost similar to the medical model because it thrives on the diagnosis and treatment of illnesses. However, their main differences are that the public health model target different recipients and rely on different methodologies of care. The medical model is mainly designed for individual patients; the public health model is designed for groups such as the community, a country, gender. These groups are based on the geographical area targeted. Age groups such as children, adults or the elderly as well as the types of problems faced by specific groups such as the drug abuse, poverty (SES), or disease epidemic.

The main assumption of the public health model is that diseases are caused by the malfunction arising from the environment in which people live an the society in which they interact. As such, the public health model evaluates the medical problems based on its impact on the individual and the society as a whole. Finaly, the model also focuses on prevention in addition to treatment. The public health model uses a number of intervention such as support groups, community based activities, and programs. They educate the community and sensitive the society in the event that an outbreak or a medical problems is becoming prevalent(Woodside, &, McClam, 2014)..

The Human Service Model

The model is designed based on the understanding of the intricate link between the individual and the environment in which they live. The model argues that there should be a balance between the individuals in the community and the environment as an imbalance would lead to interpersonal and environmental conflicts which lead to medical problems. For example, genetic predispositions, biochemical imbalances or a number or inappropriate behaviors may cause medical problems (Woodside, &, McClam, 2014). The human service model is therefore designed to help address or influence the social environment because without addressing these imbalances, social problems, behavioral problem, interpersonal problems as well as emotional difficulties do arise. In conclusion the human service model recognizes the interaction between the society and the environment as well as the important role played by both the medical model and the public health model. The human service model focuses on the patients strengths as opposed to their inadequacies to solve their problems.

References

Woodside, R., &, McClam T. (2014). An Introduction to the Human Services. 8th Edition. Cengage Learning. Boston, Massachusetts, United States