From Wikipedia,
the free encyclopedia.
Hodges' Health Career Model
is a tool to help an individual or
group develop ideas connected with
a problem or issue
[1].
Background
In many situations it helps to
have guidelines that predict the
types of problems that will be met
or the knowledge and skills to
solve problems. Physicists make
use of a specialised guideline
called
models. These are made up of
laws and theories that help
explain the everyday things we
experience. A very simple example
of a guideline is a list. In
health care there are also
nursing theories. Nurses and
of course other health care
workers need to know about people,
their relationships, aswell as the
sciences, anatomy, physiology, the
effects of drugs and technical
equipment. Add to these the image
of the nurse as dedicated carer,
dealing repeatedly with the
emotional highs and lows of life
and you realise just how complex
health and social care can be.
An effective model provides a
framework that helps the user to
make sense of all these various
subjects. When a nurse meets a new
patient, they will complete an
assessment. In addition to using
information provided from the
doctor, the nurse uses their
training and experience to draw
conclusions about what needs to be
done, or how things are
progressing. Just consider what
would happen if a doctor, nurse or
other professional such as
architect, lawyer, engineer were
to forget something. Ninety-nine
times out of a hundred nothing bad
happens at all, but that one
mistake can be catastrophic. Tools
that prompt the memory can reduce
risk. Hodges health career model
is one such tool, although its
potential is much greater than
these introductory notes suggest.
Hodges Health Career Model
Developed in the UK by Brian E.
Hodges during the 1980s, Hodges'
model is person-centred and
situation based. Patients are
people, with lives, beliefs,
relationships, that extend far
beyond the diagnosis that they are
given. Hodges model is person-centred
because it helps care workers see
patients as individuals outside of
medicine, surgery or gynaecology.
The idea of situation
comes into play, because life is
all about situations. One after
another. Some brief, fleeting
even, others prolonged have us
bored, feeling hopeless, fearful,
on cloud nine. If a person is
assessed without considering their
situation then things can
certainly be missed. It is not
only about risk though. Students
and teachers can use a model to
help decide what needs to be
taught on courses. When writing
about the care of patients on the
ward, in their home, or in the
library studying a model can once
again help.
Structure and space
Figure 1 Health Career
Model Axes
Figure 2 Four knowledge
(care) domains
The model combines two axes
which create four care domains
(figures 1 and 2 combined). The
tool supports individuals or
groups of people as they reflect
on a problem, series of issues.
The Hodges model is a
conceptual framework; a map on
which concepts can be placed and
if necessary related to each
other.
Original factors in
development
In the 1980s Hodges was
prompted to create the model to
meet four educational objectives:
- 1. To produce a curriculum
development tool.
- 2. Help ensure holistic
assessment and evaluation.
- 3. To support reflective
practice.
- 4. To bridge the
theory-practice gap.
Exposure of Hodges' work is
limited to a website since 1997, a
very small cadre of practitioners
and several published articles
(Adams, 1987; Hinchcliffe, 1989;
Jones, 2004).
Future potential
Hodges' model has great
potential outside health, social
and pastoral care, overcoming many
of the criticisms within
nursing models. For at least
three decades the need for
holistic care has been espoused
and yet this objective still
evades many services. Using
information as a unifying
concept, this model can help
bridge the mechanistic -
humanistic and individual - group
realms (Jones, 1996).
The images below show how the
model can represent the key
problems and issues of four
potential user groups.
Students,
Educationalists, Life long
learners
20th Century model - 21st
Century relevance
The 1980s may seem remote, but
the problems that stimulated
development of Hodges model are
far from archaic. Student life is
preparation for life-long
learning. The curriculum is
constantly under pressure. Despite
decades of policy declarations,
truly holistic care (combining
physical, mental and pastoral
care) remains elusive. The concept
and practice of reflection swings
like a metronome, one second
seemingly de rigour, the moment
next the subject of web based
polls. Finally, technology is
often seen as a way to make
knowledge available to all
practitioners, but the benefits of
e-learning and information
technology are not guaranteed.
The 21st century adds further
challenges and complexity.
Demographic change is shaping
policy, as well as population
pyramids. Globalisation and the
role of economics are bringing
home the lesson of just how
interconnected, interdependent the
human race have become. The
exponential growth in the volume
of information produced, begs the
question of where the wisdom and
values reside to effectively
deploy knowledge and solve some of
21st century scale problems.
Complex problems -
transdisciplinary solutions
If problems today require
interdisciplinary solutions, then
tomorrow effective
transdisciplinary approaches will
be crucial. Health and social care
are no longer the sole preserve of
the clinic or waiting lounge. As
the media has shown in diet and
younger people, SARS, and AIDs;
health is a national and
international concern. The
environment also requires
increasing urgency for attention.
We are all linked, interdependent:
vulnerable. Policy makers
recognise the need to engage with
people politically and engender
personal responsibility.
Citizenship is crucial in health
and the environment.
Name
The title of the model has
incorporated care domains
since 2002 to prevent confusion
with websites purely career
focused and people searching for
'career as a model'. Hence the
title Hodges Health Career -
Care Domains - Model and
abbreviation h2cm.
See also
Nursing theory
References
- Adams, T. (1987) Dementia is
a family affair. Community
Outlook, Feb, 7-8.
- Hinchcliffe, S.M. (et al.)
(1989) Nursing Practice and
Health Care, 1st Edition only,
London, Edward Arnold.
- Jones, P. (1996) Humans,
Information, and Science,
Journal Advanced Nursing,
591-598.
- Jones, P. (2004) Viewpoint:
Can informatics and holistic
multidisciplinary care be
harmonised? British Journal of
Healthcare Computing &
Information Management, 21, 6,
17-18.
