Until recently, the primary focus of the U.S. health care system has been treatment, which is why the country is known for its innovation and technological advances in the medical field. After all, America has some of the most high-tech medical equipment, even though it remains far behind other nations in terms of life expectancy and infant mortality. The reason for this anomaly is that the government has not recognized the importance and value of preventative care. As of 2020, slow changes have started to transform the country’s health care system and shift the pendulum towards disease avoidance rather than treatment. However, the current emphasis on health promotion and preventive care presents a number of challenges, especially for young medical professionals trying to educate themselves on the topic. This paper is going to examine the distinctions between the old and the new systems of health care, as well as identify the most prominent issues associated with the new orientation in regards to medical training and education.
The main difference between the existing health care trajectory and the old one is preventive care. In the past, the system put more emphasis on the treatment of a disease, and not the promotion of initiatives aimed at eliminating the possibility of the illness in the first place. The reason for that might be the financial motivation of medical centers and pharmacological companies, which could get much more money from treating a chronic disease for thirty years rather than generating solutions to prevent such dysfunctions. It is important to realize that the American society has started to move towards prevention and health promotion because of the alarming statistics referring to the number of those diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, and other serious medical conditions (Van Gilder & Remington, 2019). The only solution to the nationwide crisis is the implementation of a newly oriented health care system, which would prioritize prevention and disease avoidance.
This new system of delivering care implies the incorporation of holistic approaches to medical practice. In order for young professionals to be aware of the effective frameworks to participate in the new health care system, it is crucial to shift the focus from classes all about the ways to treat patients to courses designed specifically to teach about prevention. As of now, a lot of medical programs have had a token course in prevention but never actually invite experts to educate students on preventive care (Van Gilder & Remington, 2019). Medical training needs to transition to support the value-based component of the prevention-focused health system.
Despite all the advantages associated with the new health care approach, there are various challenges that limit students’ ability to gain expertise in this area. Firstly, there is still a stigma, which dictates what physicians should do (Van Gilder & Remington, 2019). Traditional medical education dominates academia and instills in young minds the idea that the purpose of the medical professional is to immediate health problems. These students often feel like there is not much to do beyond that since they could not possibly influence whether their patients make healthy choices in their private life. In addition, holistic methods of care cannot be studied in detail at universities because there is a substantial lack of research on the environmental effects on health (bad neighborhoods=poorer quality of air, water, etc.), occupational safety, connection between income and health disparities, and so on (Van Gilder & Remington, 2019). Moreover, there is no consensus as to how to deliver preventive care without disregarding the patient’s autonomy and infringing on their individual liberties of choice.
In conclusion, it is apparent that the health care system in the United States is changing rapidly, largely due to the crisis in the amount of those suffering from obesity, diabetes, and other (arguably) preventable medical conditions. This new approach, which focuses on preventive care instead of treatment, poses a number of challenges to the professional practice of doctors as well as training of the future generation of health care providers.
Reference
Van Gilder, T. J., & Remington, P. (2019). Medical education needs to take ‘an ounce of prevention’ seriously. Stat News. Web.