DQ 1 Discuss how the concept of "health" has changed overtime. Discuss how the concept has evolved to include wellness, illness, and overall well-being. How has health promotion changed over time? Why is it important that nurses implement health promotion interventions based on evidence-based practice?
Please respond to the following posts from other students’ with substantive posts: Minimum of 150 words for each post with at least two scholarly references. Thanks
Post 1:
Over time, people's perceptions of health have shifted. Disease prevention became a priority after the creation and delivery of immunizations in the twentieth century, as several diseases were nearly eradicated. Health is the overall well-being of an individual, which includes the physical, mental, and societal fitness that helps prevent the contraction of diseases. The concept of health has experienced milestone changes from being in a state that the body can function and defend conditions to more complex definitions by World Health Organization (WHO) to link health with well-being (Andrea, 2018). Currently, the health sector ensures wellness through the provision of quality and patient-centered care where health promotion and disease prevention take precedence over seeking medical help after an ailment has occurred. Moreover, the health sector conducts epidemiological studies to determine the occurrence and incidence of illnesses and diseases. Health promotion is a fundamental concept in the health sector that enables patients to have increased control over their health through the provision of health education (Pender et al., 2019). The concept enhances health literacy, the establishment of social networks, and an environment that supports patients. WHO lead in the development of health promotion in the 20th century to make health a resource for living.
Implementation of health promotion interventions based on evidence-based practice in nursing is critical in the realization of quality healthcare and informed medical decisions. The health promotion interventions include mass media health campaigns, health fairs, and health education. Thus, implementing the interventions based on medical evidence increases the chances of survival of patients since it uses valid examples of healthcare references.
Post 2:
The concept of health has changed over time. In the early 19th Century, it was difficult to control infections diseases due to poor sanitation practices, water was not properly disinfected, wastes were not properly disposed. At this time, health was only viewed as the absence of disease. Once good sanitation measures were put in place, it was easier to manage diseases. This shifted the definition of health to mean the ability to remain a functional part of society. With the origination of vaccines, administering them has caused a lot of diseases to be almost completely eradicated (Angel Falkner, 2018).
The definition of health changed into more than just being the absent of disease since the prevention of diseases started. The World Health Organization was formed in 1948 with the focus of health promotion worldwide. With increase in health promotion, the definition of health included other factors like physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Health Promotion has since been the key to the reduction of chronic conditions in people and promote healthy living (Angel Falkner, 2018).
Nurses are in the best position to carry out health promotion tasks by improving the quality of life of everyone, by assessing the needs of individuals and community, including education, discovering resources, evaluating, as well as carrying out different programs to aid reduction of premature deaths, and also reducing financial costs in all aspects. This is made possible through evidence-based research and recommendations in order to improve the health of patients (Colorado Technical University, n.d.).
Post 3:
Health has evolved over the time and to change in all aspects. There has been some improvement on health teaching with effort on reaching remote areas, aiming on reducing disease progression, and increasing awareness of disease prevention thereby improving the general health status of the communities. (Whitney, S 2018). Mental health was not prioritized back in the day, through CDC statistics the responsible authorities have embarked on a journey that aims to improve mental wellness with areas with prevalent rates mainly targeted. The effort is on preventing the mental illness and early detection and treatment, this is to improve general wellness of the population. (Poudel-Tandukar, K., Jacelon, C. S., Rai, S., Ramdam, P., Bertone-Johnson, E. R., & Hollon, S. D. 2021). Evidence-based practice helps in the practice of nurses. It gives the nurses confidence in rendering care to patients. Evidence-based care assist the health care workers to identify symptoms, give appropriate intervention using a guided plan and increases positive outcomes. With the growth of CDC and research, health promotions have also improved overtime with new technology aiding to a better health status on the people. (Holdoway, A., and Franklin, H. 2022). It is important for nurses to use evidence-based practice when conducting health promotions because there is guaranteed positive outcomes and helps in error reduction. Nowadays health promotions are carried out in many ways, through the televisions, radios, social media as well as the health campaigns in public places.
Post 4:
Over the years health has changed dramatically, from advancements in health to newly discovered diagnosis. Aging for instance has increased by far, we no longer view aging as a a decline in health, but rather an opportunity to live a long healthy life. The elderly population today has grown with a life expectancy in the US of 78.7 years (Arias, et al., 2021). Secondly, we can look at mental health, mental health diagnosis has increased dramatically over the years, whether this is due to an increase in those affected, or simply because health care has become better at recognizing the symptoms. In fact, the World Health Organization projects that “that by the year 2020, depression will be the second leading cause of disability throughout the world” (Marcus, et al., 2012).
Our concept of health has now evolved towards wellness and illness prevention since the 20th century. This came in the form of vaccinations to prevent and even irradicate diseases, as well as promoting healthy diet and exercise alongside a healthy mental and spiritual wellness. Theories such as Watson’s Human Caring theory began to enter the nursing world in 1997. Jean Watson believed in a mind, body, and soul approach to health care would increase optimal outcomes in patient health (Lyon, 2012). This theory and many others revolutionized nursing care to place focus on the patient as a whole, rather than just focusing on treating a disease.
Evidence based practice has also become a key player in health care as of late. Evidence based practice is “The integration of clinical expertise, the most up-to-date research, and patient’s preferences to formulate and implement best practices for patient care” (Falkner, 2018). It is important in nursing care because it helps the nurse understand the individuality of a patient’s health and how to create a tailored approach to best fit the patient’s needs. In turn this increases the patient’s outcomes as well as improves their overall health.
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