Health, Wellness and Illness PDF

Health, Wellness and Illness 1 Outlines  Definition of health  Models of health and illness: Health belief model Health promotion Model Basic Human needs Model Holistic Health Model  Definition of Illness  Impact of illness on the cl...

Health, Wellness and Illness 1 Outlines  Definition of health  Models of health and illness: Health belief model Health promotion Model Basic Human needs Model Holistic Health Model  Definition of Illness  Impact of illness on the client and family 2 Objectives:  Define health from a multidimensional perspective  Explain the World Health Organization's (WHO) definition of health  Define health beliefs and their influence on health behavior.  Differentiate between positive and negative health behaviors.  Provide examples of how familial health history influences individual health actions.  Describe the Health Promotion Model (HPM) and its view of health.  Identify the three areas of focus in the HPM.  Explain the role of individual characteristics and experiences in health promotion.  Discuss the levels of preventive care: primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention  Define basic human needs essential for survival and health.  Explain Maslow's hierarchy of needs and its application in nursing.  Illustrate how meeting physiological needs is foundational before addressing higher needs  Describe the holistic view of health considering emotional and spiritual well-being.  Identify examples of holistic health strategies, such as relaxation and music therapy.  Define illness as a state of diminished functioning.  Differentiate between acute and chronic illnesses  Analyze how illness can lead to behavioral and emotional changes in clients and families.  Discuss the impact of illness on body image and the phases of adjustment.  Explain the effect of illness on self-concept and family dynamics.  Illustrate how illness can alter family roles and responsibilities 3  Health, Wellness and Illness 1- Definition of health: Health is a multidimensional concept and must be viewed from a broader perspectives. An assessment of the client's state of health is an important aspect of nursing. - The world health organization (WHO) defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease". - Individual's views of health can vary among different age- groups, race, gender, and culture. - Health and illness must be defined in terms of the individual health can include conditions previously considered to be illness. - Ex: a person with epilepsy who has learned to control seizures with medication and who functions at home and at work may no longer consider himself or herself ill. 4  Models of health and illness:-  Model is a theoretical way of understanding a concept or idea. Because health and illness are complex concepts, models are used to understand the relationships between these concepts and the client's attitudes toward health and health behaviors. Health belief model: * Health beliefs are a person's ideas, convictions and attitudes about health and illness. Because health beliefs usually influence health behavior, they can positively or negatively affect a client's level of health. * Positive health behaviors are activities related to maintaining, attaining or regaining good health and preventing illness. * Common positive health behaviors include immunization, proper sleep patterns, adequate exercise and nutrition. 5 * Negative health behavior include practices actually or potentially harmful to health such as smoking, drug or alcohol abuse, poor diet and refusal to take necessary medications. * The individual perception of susceptibility to an illness affect the health belief model. Ex: a client needs to recognize the familial link for coronary artery disease. This link is recognized when one parent and two siblings have died in their fourth decade from myocardial infarction, the client may perceive the risk of heart disease. * A client's perception of susceptibility to disease and his or her perception of the seriousness of this disease helps him to take preventive measures include life style changes and search for medical advice or treatment. Health promotion Model:  The health promotion model (HPM) proposed by Pender (1982, revised 1996). It defines health as a positive, dynamic state not merely the absence of disease.  Health promotion is directed at increasing a client's level of wellbeing.  The model focuses on three areas: 1- Individual characteristics & experiences. 2- Behavior specific knowledge and affect. 3- Behavioral outcomes.  The (HPM) notes that each person has unique personal characteristics and experiences that affect subsequent actions.  Health promotion activities such as routine exercise and good nutrition help clients to maintain health. 6  Illness prevention activities such as immunization programs protect clients from actual or potential threats to health.  Levels of preventive care:  Nursing care oriented to health promotion, wellness, and illness prevention can be understood in terms of health activities on primary, secondary and tertiary levels.  Primary prevention: is true prevention, it precedes disease or dysfunction and is applied to clients considered physically and emotionally healthy. 7  Primary prevention includes health education programs, immunization and physical and nutritional fitness activities.  Secondary prevention: focuses on individuals who are experiencing health problems or illnesses and who are at risk for developing complications, activities are directed at diagnosis and prompt interventions to help the client to return to normal level of health.  Tertiary prevention: Occurs when a defect or disability is permanent and irreversible activities are directed at rehabilitation rather than diagnosis and treatment. Basic Human needs Model:  Basic human needs are elements that are necessary for human survival and health. Ex. Food, water, safety and love. All people share the basic human needs.  Maslow's hierarchy of needs is a model that nurses can use to understand the interrelationships of basic human needs. According to this model, certain human needs are more basic than others that is some needs must be met before other needs.  Ex. Fulfilling the physiological needs before the needs of love and belonging. 8  Holistic Health Model: ◘ Health care has begun to take a more holistic view of health by considering emotional and spiritual wellbeing as well as other dimensions of an individual as important aspects of physical wellness. ◘ Relaxation therapy and music therapy are examples of holistic strategies which can be used in all stages of health and illness. 9  Variables influencing health and health beliefs:  There are many variables that can influence a client's health beliefs. Internal and external variables can influence how a person thinks and acts. (1) Internal variables: it include developmental stage, intellectual background, perception of functioning and emotional and spiritual factors. a) Developmental stage: the concept of illness for a child, adolescent or adult is dependent on the individual's developmental stage. Fear and anxiety are common among ill children. b) Intellectual background: educational background and past experiences influence how a client thinks about health. Cognitive abilities also relate to a person's developmental stage. c) Perception of functioning: The way people perceive their physical functioning affects health beliefs and practices. Subjective data such as level of fatigue, shortness of breath or pain. Objective data about actual functioning such as blood pressure, height measurements and lung sound assessment. All this information allows nurses to more successfully plan and implement individualized care. d) Emotional factors: the client's degree of stress, depression or fear for example can influence health beliefs and practice. 11 e) Spiritual factors: spirituality is reflected in how a person lives his or her life including the values and beliefs exercised, the relationships established with family and friends. Religious practices are one way that people exercise spirituality. 11 (2) External Variables: External variables influencing a person's health beliefs and practices include family practices, socioeconomic factors and cultural background. a) Family practices: the way the client's families use health care services generally affect their health practices. Their perceptions of the seriousness of diseases and their history of preventive care behaviors can influence how clients will think about health. Ex: if a young woman's mother never had annual gynecological examinations or pap smears, the daughter will follow such practices. b) Socioeconomic factors: ◘ Social and psychosocial factors can increase the risk for illness and influence the person's reaction to illness. Psychosocial variables include the lifestyle habits the person's occupational environment. ◘ A person generally seeks approval and support from social networks (neighbors, peers, and co-workers). This desire for support affects health beliefs and practices. ◘ Economic variables also affect a client's level of health by increasing the risk for disease. A person who has a large family and low income tends to give a higher priority to food and shelter than to costly drugs or treatment. c) Cultural background: cultural beliefs, values influence the personal health practices. Nurses should focus on understanding the client's traditions, values and beliefs and how these dimensions may affect health, wellness and illness. 12  Definition of Illness: is a state in which a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired compared with a previous experience.  Acute illness: usually has a short duration and is severe. The symptoms appear abruptly, are intense and often subside after a relatively short period.  A chronic illness: persists usually longer than 6 months. A person with a chronic illness is similar to a person with disability in that both have limitations in function resulting from either a pathological process or an injury.  Impact of illness on the client and family: (1) Behavioral and emotional changes:  People react differently to illness or the threat of illness behavioral and emotional reactions depend on the nature of the illness. Short term, non life threatening illnesses evoke few behavioral changes in the functioning of the client or family. Ex. A father who has a cold may lack the energy and patience to spend time in family activities.  Severe illness which is life threatening can lead to more extensive emotional and behavioral changes, such as anxiety, shock, denial, anger, and withdrawal.  Impact on body image: body image is the subjective concept of physical appearance. Some illnesses result in changes in physical appearance and clients and families react differently to these changes. 13  When a change in body image occurs, such as results from leg amputation, the client generally adjusts in the following phases: shock, withdrawal, acceptance, and rehabilitation.  During rehabilitation the client is ready to learn how to adapt to the change in body image through use of a prosthesis or changing lifestyles and goals.  (2) Impact on self concept:  Self concept is a mental self image of strengths and weaknesses in all aspects of personality. Self concept depends in part on body image and roles but also includes other aspects of psychology and spirituality.  Self concept is important in relationships with other family members. A client with illness may no longer meet family expectations leading to tension or conflict. As a result family members may change their interactions with the client.  Impact on family roles:  People have many roles in life such as wage earner, decision maker, professional, child, sibling or parent. If a parent of an adult becomes ill and can not carry out usual activities, the adult child often assumes many of the parent's responsibilities. 14