NUFS 144 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Biomedicine, Etiology, Materialism
Document Summary
Biomedicine: the conventional system of health care in the united states. Categories of traditional health beliefs and practices can be based upon. Each cultural group has a unique outlook on life, based on a common understanding and ranking of values. Individual may seem indifferent in terminal illness due to belief in reincarnation. One"s belief in faith healing may contradict health care recommendations. One may believe the preservation of life is mandated; denial of sustaining care is murderous. A person may feel it is a practitioner decision rather than a family decision. Biomedicine is a cultural subdivision of the american majority worldview. Cultural imposition is the tendency for healthcare providers to enforce their beliefs, practices, and values upon clients. A biomedical cause exists for every condition. State of being - patients are expected to be active partners in their cure. Human equality - all patients deserve equal access to care.