How might biomedical hegemony influence patient care?

• A. It increases patient control over illness
• B. Domination of biological explanations may marginalize social factors, patient narratives, and non-biomedical therapies, affecting care decisions and power dynamics
• C. It encourages holistic social determinants
• D. It expands access to traditional therapies

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how a biomedical hegemony shapes patient care by prioritizing biological explanations and interventions over social context and patient experiences. When medicine centers mainly on biological pathology, lab tests, and pharmacology, the social factors, personal stories, and non-biomedical therapies that influence health can be sidelined. This shapes care decisions because clinicians may emphasize what can be measured and treated biologically, while undervaluing a patient’s lived experience, preferences, and the broader social circumstances that affect health. As a result, power tends to sit with the clinician as the expert, potentially reducing shared decision-making and patient agency. For instance, someone with chronic pain might receive a narrow biomedical treatment plan without considering work, sleep, stress, or alternative approaches the patient finds meaningful, which can affect satisfaction and adherence. This is why many approaches advocate integrating biological, psychological, and social factors and honoring patient narratives and choices. The other options imply more patient control or a focus on social determinants or traditional therapies, which contrasts with a dominant biomedical framework.