Biopsychosocial: Vein and Compression Therapy
This essay will examine the biopsychosocial issues that have influenced the perceptions of the health and well being of a patient I have nursed during a recent clinical placement. For the purpose of this essay the name of this patient has been changed to protect his anonymity as well as to be compliant with the Nursing Midwifery Council Professional Code of Conduct (NMC 2008) regarding confidentiality. The patient, who will be known as William, is 62 years of age and has a venous leg ulcer to his right leg which he has suffered for the past four years. This essay will also explore the biopsychosocial reasons for William’s initial non-compliance to compression therapy, and discuss various models and how they vary in their purpose.
The word biopsychosocial originates from three factors, biological, psychological, and sociological (Shorter 2005). Straub (2002) places these three factors together by suggesting that health and disease should be described in terms of multiple contexts which implies that in connection to biopsychosocial, the biological, psychological and social forces work together to establish a person’s health and vulnerability to disease. The word biology according to Naidoo and Wills (2008) is:
“The science of life. It is the study of living organisms, what they are made of and how they function and how they interact with each other and the environment.”
(p.23).
Biology has several branches, one of which is physiology (Naidoo and Wills 2008), and according to Marieb (2009) physiology “is the study of how the body and its parts work or function” (p.2). With regards to William and physiology this essay will explore the pathophysiology of leg ulcers, the symptoms, signs and treatment. Pathophysiology, according to Gould and Dyer (2011) is “the study of functional or physiologic changes in the body that result from disease processes” (p.2.). To use this approach requires basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology so as to explore the changes
The word biopsychosocial originates from three factors, biological, psychological, and sociological (Shorter 2005). Straub (2002) places these three factors together by suggesting that health and disease should be described in terms of multiple contexts which implies that in connection to biopsychosocial, the biological, psychological and social forces work together to establish a person’s health and vulnerability to disease. The word biology according to Naidoo and Wills (2008) is:
“The science of life. It is the study of living organisms, what they are made of and how they function and how they interact with each other and the environment.”
(p.23).
Biology has several branches, one of which is physiology (Naidoo and Wills 2008), and according to Marieb (2009) physiology “is the study of how the body and its parts work or function” (p.2). With regards to William and physiology this essay will explore the pathophysiology of leg ulcers, the symptoms, signs and treatment. Pathophysiology, according to Gould and Dyer (2011) is “the study of functional or physiologic changes in the body that result from disease processes” (p.2.). To use this approach requires basic knowledge of anatomy and physiology so as to explore the changes