Application of Psychological Theories Essay

This report analyses the application of psychological theories at the Queens Hospital where I was on placement as a Health Care Assistant. Health psychology takes into consideration the context of individuals’ lives, beliefs, behaviours and other risk factors in order to achieve the desired objectives, which in this case is to provide the best ways of attending to the patients. The hospital uses the biopsychosocial model, psychoanalytical and the task oriented approaches in offering psychological care to the patients. All the three approaches emphasise the idea of ensuring that the patient is the centre of all actions in order to engage them as much as possible in the treatment process.Application of Psychological Theories Essay

Introduction

Picano (2009, p. 44) suggests that in the past the medical practitioners regarded psychology and other social sciences as unimportant soft sciences in the medical profession. However this notion slowly changed as scholars started linking psychology to the well being of both physical and mental health. This paper explores the linkage between psychological theory and practice at the Queens Hospital. I worked as a health care assistant and was a vital part of the team that supported the medical staff and patients in wards and departments throughout the hospital. I had direct links to both the patients and the medical staff and as such I was able to observe the interactions between the patients and other medical staff. As the first point of contact for many patients and members of the public, healthcare assistants need to be well-presented and confident with good interpersonal skills. Some of the tasks are unpleasant and needs flexibility to able to help patients with their personal care without getting embarrassed and making sure they are comfortable. Achieving this requires application of psychological theories into practice in order to be able to offer the best care to the patients in medical settings.