Research the health-illness continuum and its relevance to patient care. In a 750-1,000
word paper, discuss the relevance of the continuum to patient care and present a
perspective of your current state of health in relation to the wellness spectrum. Include the
following:
Examine the health-illness continuum and discuss why this perspective is important to
consider in relation to health and the human experience when caring for patients.
Explain how understanding the health-illness continuum enables you, as a health care
provider, to better promote the value and dignity of individuals or groups and to serve
others in ways that promote human flourishing.
Reflect on your overall state of health. Discuss what behaviors support or detract from
your health and well-being. Explain where you currently fall on the health-illness
continuum.
Discuss the options and resources available to you to help you move toward wellness on the
health-illness spectrum. Describe how these would assist in moving you toward wellness
(managing a chronic disease, recovering from an illness, self-actualization, etc.).
Human Experience across the Health-Illness Continuum
I). Examine the health-illness continuum and discuss its importance to patient care
The health-illness continuum displays the stages of progress, where persons encounter
various circumstances of health and ailment (going from optimal health status to death) that vary
for a mind-blowing duration. Dr. John W. Travis first envisioned the above model in 1972,
health, similarly as life itself, is a progression of ceaseless change. Also, one ought to
persistently adjust to these circumstances in their living to maintain optimal health and
prosperity. It is human adjustment, or reaction to the change, as opposed to change itself, that
influences wellbeing (Schomerus et al, 2016).
Adjustment and productive performance, even within sight of constant ailment, can be
viewed as a condition of wellbeing. An individual might be in a flawless state of nevertheless
feeling excessively worn out and “blue” to go to work, while another individual, a diabetic, is
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grinding away, working altogether, and achieving his activity. Which of these two individuals is
at a more significant level on the wellbeing ailment continuum?
Human health is not only limited to biological aspects but involves the mental, emotional,
psychological, and spiritual scopes. While treating or taking care of a patient, a nurse should
always have in mind that a patient has other needs apart from the biological ones and the
relationship among all aspects of human health. These aspects do not exist in isolation but are
rather synchronized, so one element affects the other.
The right arm of the model speaks to wellbeing and health, while the left is demonstrative
of ailment, and there is a nonbiased point which is representative of the nonappearance of illness.
This is what most medical intervention strives to restore; at this point, the patient is physically
capable of proper functions through their mental or emotional being might be compromised and
can later be restored.
II). Explain how understanding the health-illness continuum enables you, a health care provider
to better promote the value and dignity of individuals or groups
The model is an extraordinary instrument that medical attendants can put to use enabling
patients to envision, design, and fulfill one’s objectives towards better health status. Nurses are
liable for giving recommendations to their patients as well as teaching them how avoidance and
way of life intervention that can assist in moving towards health and wellness. The health
worldview ranges the whole length of the continuum; since this is the bearing our patients must
face to accomplish elevated level health (Jordan, Buchbinder, & Osborne, 2015). Treatment
mechanisms most probably, just lead patients to the unbiased point or, as such, a non-disease
state.
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Our objective as nurses ought to be to move our patient’s past that, to a progressively
ideal degree of wellbeing. As should be obvious from the representation, the best approach to
accomplish this is through mindfulness, instruction, and individual development. Further the
model enables a nurse to appreciate that different individual and groups of patients are at
different stages of the continuum and hence a nurse should provide personalized care towards
each patient. Through categorization of the stages, as a nurse I am able to appreciate the effort
and steps taken by the patient towards recovery and if a patient is not progressing it is possible to
point out what and where factors that may not be effective. This keeps me up to date with the
progress or regress of a patient and be able to make necessary interventions or recommendations
within my jurisdiction.
III). Reflect on your overall state of health
In the representation one can see that not exclusively is the wellbeing continuum moving
from ideal wellbeing to unexpected death with the different stages in the middle of, yet the 6
segments of individual wellbeing are encompassing the continuum too (mental, emotional,
social, psychological, spiritual, physical, and environmental. The parts are rotating around the
continuum and dependent upon one another in a continuous state. I am at a youthful stage and
hence my physical health is optimal though at times I experience pain, discomfort and tiredness,
it has never interfered with daily work routine.
Most of the days I am energetic and can work for more than 12 hours a day or more
expect for some days when my emotions or mental status are a bit compromised. While
reflecting on my overall health, I noticed there certain areas that I neglect unknowingly. Due to
my busy schedule I tend to neglect my physical fitness, off late I have not taken the time to go
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for a walk or go to the gym to exercise. This does compromise my physical and mental health,
since exercise releases ‘feel-good’ hormones such as dopamine which general uplift one mood
and facilitates clear though processes (Schomerus et al, 2016).
Over the years I have been under psychological treatment, I have psychological visits
once every month. So far I have experienced a continued progress in that niche. I have been
dealing with psychological trauma and anxiety since teenage hood and currently I am able to
cope with stress and anxiety better than before and I do plan to continue with the counseling
sessions. Most healthcare workers can easily neglect their health (in all aspects) all in an effort to
offer the best services and care to the patient. This should not be the case and hence I will draft a
plan so as to take measures that will ultimately improve on my overall health.
IV). Discuss the options and resources available to you to help you move toward wellness on the
health-illness spectrum.
An environment consists of all factors that are outside to a patient. A few components of
our surrounding can put an individual in danger for an infection or ailment; other natural
variables incline the individual to health. For instance, a social stressor, for example, the
departure of a friend or family member, inclines the host for infection and disease; and a physical
ecological power, for example, solid commotion levels and satisfactory day to day environments
can encourage wellbeing. Moreover, a risk factor is an inborn or outward factor or situation that
could prompt a sickness, contamination, or an illness. A case of an inherent risk factor is the
existence of hypertension, which puts a person in danger for different disarranges and a case of
an extraneous risk factor is consumption of contaminated food, which puts the individual in
danger for foodborne diseases.
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At the facility where I work there programs directed towards improving stuff physical
and overall wellness. In the recent a gymnasium was put up so as to encourage stuff to exercise,
this makes it convenient to work out and maintain healthy physical parameters such weight and
blood pressure. Also the human resource department has availed counseling services so as to
cater to the mental and psychological needs most especially to the health workers. These
measures have an overall positive health impact and improve service delivery since the stuff is
healthier and motivated to work (Christian, Garza, & Slaughter, 2011).
Finally external and internal policies have impacted on the working conditions within the
healthcare framework. Improved working conditions, increment in remuneration and better
contract terms have not only motivated but also contributed to more productivity in my role as a
nurse. Friendly and conducive work conditions improve one emotional and mental status
fostering optimal performance and interaction among colleagues.
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References
Christian, M. S., Garza, A. S., & Slaughter, J. E. (2011). Work engagement: A quantitative
review and test of its relations with task and contextual performance. Personnel
psychology, 64(1), 89-136.
Jordan, J. E., Buchbinder, R., & Osborne, R. H. (2015). Conceptualising health literacy from the
patient perspective. Patient education and counseling, 79(1), 36-42.
Schomerus, G., Angermeyer, M. C., Baumeister, S. E., Stolzenburg, S., Link, B. G., & Phelan, J.
C. (2016). An online intervention using information on the mental health-mental illness
continuum to reduce stigma. European Psychiatry, 32, 21-27.