The Failure of Western Biomedicine: Treatment of Tuberculosis in the United States

Abstract

The traditional Western model of biomedicine has been found to be inadequate when dealing with the escalating problems of tuberculosis (TB) and multi-drug resistant TB (MDRTB) in North America Biomedicine has failed to appropriately control this disease and is unable to deal effectively with social problems that cause the spread of TB, prevent adequate utilization of health care facilities, and discourage the appropriate use of medications. An anthropological approach which considers social and cultural issues in TB care and prevention may be useful iIi understanding why people may not use health care facilities, as well as aid in understanding the reasons behind non-compliance in finishing appropriate coW'Ses ofmedication The Primary Health Care Model (PHC) may be a valuable option for providing accessible medical care which is acceptable to more individuals. Directly Observed Therapy Programs (DOT) have also been shown to be effective ways of enhancing patient compliance in completion of therapy, regardless of socio-economic circumstances or cultural diversity. The reliance on treatments which use standard Biomedical paradigms will continue to fail unless local and individual responses to these programs are given consideration.