Biomedicine

Biomedicine (also referred to as Western medicine, mainstream medicine or conventional medicine)[1] is a branch of medical science that applies biological and physiological principles to clinical practice. Biomedicine stresses standardized, evidence-based treatment validated through biological research, with treatment administered via formally trained doctors, nurses, and other such licensed practitioners.[2]

Biomedicine also can relate to many other categories in health and biological related fields. It has been the dominant system of medicine in the Western world for more than a century.[3][4][5][6]

It includes many biomedical disciplines and areas of specialty that typically contain the "bio-" prefix such as molecular biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology, embryology, nanobiotechnology, biological engineering, laboratory medical biology, cytogenetics, genetics, gene therapy, bioinformatics, biostatistics, systems biology, neuroscience, microbiology, virology, immunology, parasitology, physiology, pathology, anatomy, toxicology, and many others that generally concern life sciences as applied to medicine.[citation needed]

  1. ^ "Biomedicine." NCI Dictionary of Cancer Medicine. National Cancer Institute.
  2. ^ Quirke, Viviane; Gaudillière, Jean-Paul (October 2008). "The Era of Biomedicine: Science, Medicine, and Public Health in Britain and France after the Second World War". Medical History. 52 (4): 441–452. doi:10.1017/s002572730000017x. PMC 2570449. PMID 18958248.
  3. ^ Johnson, Suzanne Bennett. "Medicine's Paradigm Shift: An Opportunity for Psychology". APA Monitor on Psychology 43.8 (September 2012)
  4. ^ Wade DT, Halligan PW (2004). "Do biomedical models of illness make for good healthcare systems?". BMJ. 329 (9 December 2004): 1398–401. doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7479.1398. PMC 535463. PMID 15591570.
  5. ^ George L. Engel (1977). "The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine" (PDF). Science. 196 (4286 (Apr. 8, 1977)): 129–136. Bibcode:1977Sci...196..129E. doi:10.1126/science.847460. PMID 847460.
  6. ^ Lloyd, Hilary, Helen Hancock, and Steven Campbell. Vital Notes for Nurses: Principles of Care. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing (2007). 6. is