#1 - Health, Wellness, and Illness

Definitions:

  • Acute illness: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO); the actualization of inherent and acquired human potential through goal-directed behavior, competent self-care, and satisfying relationships with others

  • Inpatient health care setting: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Chronic illness: Not specifically defined in provided materials, but materials describe chronic diseases as related to four modifiable health behaviors: physical inactivity, poor nutrition, tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure, and excessive alcohol use

  • Health disparities: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Long term care: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Community health care setting: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Health literacy: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Disease: A medical condition that causes distress for a person in the form of its symptoms; a generic term that includes all disorders, infections, disabilities, and deformities that can afflict human beings

  • Health promotion: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Social determinants of health (SDOH): Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Maslow's Hierarchy of needs: Not specifically defined in provided materials

  • Illness: A state in which a person's physical, emotional, intellectual, social, developmental, or spiritual functioning is diminished or impaired; a feeling of poor health (can occur with or without disease)

  • Risk factor: Not specifically defined in provided materials

Compare Health and Wellness:

Health: A state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity; the actualization of inherent and acquired human potential through goal-directed behavior, competent self-care, and satisfying relationships with others.

Wellness: Not specifically defined in provided materials.

Dimensions of Wellness:

Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Health-Illness Continuum:

Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Factors Affecting Health Status:

Chronic Disease Factors:

  • Physical inactivity

  • Poor nutrition

  • Tobacco use and secondhand smoke exposure

  • Excessive alcohol use

Patient Perceptions:

  • Individual's perceptions of a disease and its symptoms influence coping responses

  • Psychological changes related to grief

  • Stress related to the disease

Effects of Hospitalization/Institutional Living:

Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Nurse's Role in Health Promotion:

  • Nurses directly influence the health and well-being of patients every day

  • Encourage healthy lifestyle changes within communities

  • Educate patients on how to change their behaviors and manage their diseases or disabilities to help reduce occurrence or improve severity of symptoms

  • Spend more time than other health care professionals with patients living with chronic disease, uniquely positioned to help overcome problems related to illness behavior

Nurse as Advocate:

Not specifically defined in the provided materials.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Prevention:

Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Community Health Nurse Role:

Community Health Nursing: Focuses on improving the health care of individuals, families, and groups within their communities. The goal is to preserve, protect, promote, or maintain health within a community.

Community-Based Nursing: Provides illness care within the community setting, requiring clinical judgment and decision making for individual patients and families—assessing health status, critically applying knowledge, recognizing and analyzing cues, identifying health problems, planning care, implementing interventions, and evaluating outcomes of care.

Examples of Services in Healthcare Settings:

Assisted Living Facility: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Day Care Center: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Home Care:

  • Provision of medically related professional and paraprofessional services and equipment to patients and families in their homes

  • Health maintenance, education, illness prevention, diagnosis and treatment of disease, rehabilitation, and palliative care

  • Part-time, medically necessary skilled care (nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech-language therapy) prescribed by a health care provider

  • Wound care

  • Administration of parenteral and enteral nutrition

  • Administration of medications and blood therapy

  • Home care aide services

  • Coordination of access to and delivery of durable medical equipment (DME)

  • Frequency ranges from a couple of times a week to once or twice a day, up to 7 days a week based on patient need

  • Patient-specific comprehensive assessments at start of care, 60-day follow-ups, discharge, and before/after inpatient stays

Hospice: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Long-Term Care Facility: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Rehabilitation Center: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Urgent Care Center: Not specifically described in the provided materials.

Home Nursing Care Services:

  • Highly individualized nursing care with nurses having their own patient caseloads

  • Help patients adapt to permanent or temporary physical limitations

  • Support patients in assuming daily home routines that are as normal as possible

  • Education of patient and family caregiver about necessary care techniques and precautions

  • Teaching how to integrate care within family activities

  • Guidance on how patients/family caregivers can assume greater percentage of care over time

  • Comprehensive community, home, and family assessments

  • Maintaining patients' functional abilities within the context of the family

  • Helping patients remain in homes following acute injuries, diseases, illnesses, surgery, or exacerbation of chronic disease

Fundamental Definitions of Health, Illness, and Disease

  • Acute Illness     * Characterized by a sudden onset of symptoms.     * Features a short duration regarding the course of the condition.     * The condition usually resolves through the application of specific treatment.

  • Chronic Illness     * Defined as a long-term or permanent condition.     * Requires ongoing management and continuous health care oversight over an extended period.

  • Health     * A comprehensive state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being.     * Emphasizes that health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.

  • Illness     * Represents a person’s subjective experience of disease.     * Can also be defined as an individual's experience of altered health status.

  • Disease     * An objective pathologic change occurring within the structure or function of the body.

  • Risk Factor     * Refers to any specific factor that increases the overall likelihood of an individual experiencing illness or injury.

Socio-Environmental Factors in Health Care

  • Health Literacy     * The capacity and ability of an individual to obtain health information.     * The ability to understand and effectively use health information to make informed health-related decisions.

  • Health Disparities     * Observable differences in health outcomes between different population groups.     * These differences are frequently related to social, economic, or environmental disadvantages.

  • Social Determinants of Health     * The specific conditions in which people are born, live, work, learn, and age.     * These environmental and social factors have a direct effect on health statuses and outcomes.

  • Health Promotion     * A set of activities aimed at helping individuals achieve their optimal state of health.     * Focuses on the active prevention of illness.

Conceptual Frameworks and Wellness Dimensions

  • Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs     * A progressive framework of human needs that must be met in a specific order:         * Physiological: Basic survival needs such as food, water, and shelter.         * Safety: Security and protection from harm.         * Love/Belonging: Social connections and relationships.         * Esteem: Self-worth, accomplishment, and respect.         * Self-Actualization: Achieving one's full potential.

  • Health vs. Wellness     * Health: Viewed as a state of being or state of well-being.     * Wellness: Viewed as an active and ongoing process directed toward the achievement of optimal health.

  • The Seven Dimensions of Wellness     * Physical Wellness.     * Emotional Wellness.     * Social Wellness.     * Spiritual Wellness.     * Intellectual Wellness.     * Occupational Wellness.     * Environmental Wellness.

  • Health-Illness Continuum     * A conceptual range describing health levels from optimal wellness at one end to severe illness at the other.     * Individuals are not static; they move along this continuum throughout their lives.

  • Factors Affecting Health     * Genetics.     * Environment.     * Lifestyle choices.     * Culture.     * Income levels.     * Education.     * Access to health care services.

Health Care Settings and Facilities

  • Inpatient Health Care Setting     * Care that is provided to patients who reside within a hospital or a specialized medical facility.

  • Community Health Care Setting     * Care that is administered in non-hospital locations, including:         * Clinics.         * Private homes.         * Community agencies.

  • Long-Term Care     * Residential care services designed for individuals who require continuous assistance with daily living and medical needs.

  • Assisted Living     * Facilities that provide help with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs).     * Includes assistance with medication management.

  • Day Care Center     * Provides supervision for individuals during the day.     * Includes organized social activities.

  • Home Care     * The provision of skilled nursing care and therapy services directly within the patient’s home.

  • Hospice     * Specialized comfort care specifically for individuals facing a terminal illness.

  • Long-Term Care Facility     * Provides 24-hour nursing care and personal care services.

  • Rehabilitation Center     * Focuses on therapy designed to help patients regain lost function after injury or illness.

  • Urgent Care Center     * A facility dedicated to providing treatment for minor emergencies that do not require an ER visit.

The Nursing Role in Health and Prevention

  • Effects of Hospitalization     * Potential loss of control for the patient.     * Increased levels of anxiety.     * Elevated risk of healthcare-associated infections.     * Potential for sensory deprivation.

  • Nurse’s Role in Health Promotion     * Educating patients on health matters.     * Motivating patients to adopt healthy behaviors.     * Providing health screenings and prevention strategies.

  • The Nurse as Advocate     * Protecting the rights of the patient.     * Ensuring patient safety.     * Supporting patient autonomy in decision-making.

  • Community Health Nurse Role     * Focuses on health education and prevention.     * Manages the health of specific populations.

  • Home Nursing Services     * Specific tasks include:         * Medication administration.         * Wound care.         * Patient and family education.         * Continuous monitoring of the patient's condition.

Levels of Health Prevention

  • Primary Prevention     * Goal: To prevent the disease before it occurs.     * Examples: Administering vaccines and providing health education.

  • Secondary Prevention     * Goal: Early detection and the prompt treatment of existing conditions.     * Example: Conducting health screenings.

  • Tertiary Prevention     * Goal: To reduce complications from an existing disease and restore the patient's function to the highest possible level.     * Example: Rehabilitation services.