The Human Experience across the Health-Illness Continuum (Essay Sample)

The Human Experience across the Health-Illness Continuum
Student Name
Institutional Affiliation
Course Name and Code
Instructor
Date
The Human Experience across the Health-Illness Continuum
The health-illness continuum is a concept that was initiated in 1972 by John Travis. It is basically a graphical illustration of the status of health of a human being. It depends on the model of mental and emotional human well-being (Gazaway et al., 2019). Occasionally, individuals may fail to show the physical symptoms but still be unhappy, anxious, depressed, and complain continuously of feeling unwell which in return affects their well-being (Perugini et al., 2017). As such, the health illness continuum supposes to measure their states of health or well-being. While certain practices, such as healthy diets, improve the general well-being of a person, others, such as drug abuse, only derail their health. The health illness continuum is an important concept that nurses can use to assess the levels of well-being of patients and develop health promoting interventions specific to them.
The Concept of the Health-illness Continuum and its Importance in Patient Care
From one person to the other, the wellness definition varies widely. Some people perceive wellness as the opposite of illness. To them, if they do not have any physical illness or do not show any symptoms, then they are well (Perugini et al., 2017). On the other hand, others get motivated to be active for a healthy life while the rest comprises of individuals who are either comfortable or uncomfortable with their current state of health. Below is a graphical presentation of the concept of health illness continuum and how it operates.
Figure 1: A graphical representation of the health-illness continuum (Gazaway et al., 2019).
This concept is typically right to left and neutral at the center. The continuum’s right phase has awareness, education, and growth whereas the left phase indicates the magnitude of the illness which is represented by signs, symptoms, and disabilities (Perugini et al., 2017). The model shows that wellness is dynamic and not static; it has to move the patient to a better welfare and health. Additionally, an individual’s perspective contributes to their state of wellness such that; someone who has a disability or illness but also has a positive attitude, is likely to encounter the right side of the continuum as opposed to an individual who is in denial, anxious, depressed, and or complaining (Gazaway et al., 2019). With such a negative attitude, the individual’s mental and emotional wellbeing are influenced negatively.
The health-continuum concept is vital in treating patients with hope because it is a contributor of the emotional and mental development of the patient (Luijten et al., 2019). With such a view, patients get motivated such that their health gets better and they are safer from any emotional and mental distress. It is easy to measure in which scale the specific patient lies in the continuum. It is also easy to estimate the development achieved by the patient. Overall, the health illness continuum can be used by a nurse of any other healthcare provider to assess the level of well-being of a patient. Thereafter, findings from such assessments will be vital for the nurse to tailor specific patient needs.
Health Illness Continuum in Promoting Human Value and Dignity
           It is vital for all healthcare providers to understand the concept of health illness continuum in health promotion. Practically, a nurse can use his/her knowledge of this concept to promote human dignity and value by educating individuals and communities of certain issues about their health (Grand Canyon University, 2021). They can create awareness among different human populations on practices that can improve or deteriorate their health. For example, eating healthy foods, regular physical exercises, avoiding alcohol and cigarettes, and drinking plenty of clean water are a few examples of health promoting practices. Doing the exact opposite of the above listed practices deteriorates health. Nurses can also use the knowledge of health illness continuum to teach individuals of their determinants health.
Reflection on my Personal Health and Illness Status
A healthy lifestyle, exercises, a workout, and other activities are the major contributors to the wellness of an individual’s well-being. The food I consume and what I do contributes to my mental and physical development. I am a 24 years old, 5’ with a BMI of 28 meaning that I am overweight. In addition to this, I have PCOS that is a contributor to my several health challenges. As a result of being overweight, I experience continuous pain in the bones of my heel which limits me from standing for a longer period of time. An individual who has PCOD faces a lot of difficulties when it comes to weight loss. In my state, I consume cuisine that constitutes of milk, nuts, vegetables, and proteins. I also do a walking workout of 40 minutes in a day and got the gym three times in every week. The latter is the only activity I engage in that I can consider as a health promoting behavior.
My Future Goal
I am sure that my condition can only get better with the right knowledge and thus after my course, I have apportioned myself a nursing program. This will provide me with all the clinical requirements that I can take to better my condition and help me improve my well-being. With the right knowledge, attitude, and hope of living a healthy life I now believe that there is nothing that is impossible to achieve in my lifestyle and career. In addition to this, I am now motivated to improve my health for these two reasons. One, my health challenge will no longer persist and this would assist me achieve a better and healthier lifestyle. Two, I want to motivate those around me that with a positive attitude and hard work, no health condition is impossible and incurable. The ultimate goal that I desire is to attain an improved health lifestyle and moving towards an eventual emotional and mental development that is stable. My education is as well helping me greatly as it provides the required knowledge and information preparing me adequately for my profession as I will teach people on prevention measures to lifestyle diseases. A reflection of different individuals on the health-illness continuum varies depending on their personal experiences. It is therefore a crucial aspect to understand where one lies in the