Health Promotion in Nursing Practice Kimberly Smith Grand Canyon University NRS-429V June 22, 2014 The World Health Organization (WHO) defines health promotion as, “the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health.” (WHO, 2014) Health is not just the absence of any signs and symptoms of disease, it is considered to be maintenance of a total state of wellness at a physical, mental and social level. Health promotion and prevention enables patients to make healthy decisions and lifestyle changes through education and awareness. Improving health and the quality of life, is the primary goal of health promotion and prevention. There are three levels involved in the health promotion and prevention process of care. They are primary, secondary and tertiary levels of care.
The Public health system is founded on “prevention of disease and promotion of the health of a population” by means of evidence based and socially accepted methods as stated in the Community Health and Wellness edition 4. Public health care is based on principles of cultural sensitivity, accessibility, community participation and intersectional collaboration that threads in very well with practitioners of naturopathy’s manner towards health care. Naturopathy otherwise known, as complimentary medicine is a method of healing that employs various lifestyle changes to gain optimal health. A naturopath believes that “good health involves more than just a remedy”. If we want to live long, joyful, happy lives we must endeavour to re-establish the proper relationship between ourselves – The whole body and mind – and nature in order to empower an individual to reach their highest level of health (Dr H.C.A Vogel, 1990).
Nursing Health Promotion Health promotion, as defined by the World Health Organization, “is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. It moves beyond a focus on individual behavior towards a wide range of social and environmental interventions.” (WHO, 2012) Health Promotion does not rely solely on one discipline of health but is rather a multidisciplinary scope that intertwines health education and health interventions. The goal of health promotion is to enhance value in health, lessen the health risks, advocate for healthy lifestyles and settings, and respond to the underlying determinants of health. (WHO, 2012) Health promotion it not limited to an individual but can be implemented widely through communities as well. Health Promotion in Nursing Practice Health promotion education practiced in the communities can positively affect the communities’ health and nurses contribute to this result.
However, Seedhouse (1986) suggested that health can best be described as providing the foundation by which human achievement can be attained; it is an instrument, agency, method, or course of action employed to attain some object or bring about some benefiting results, rather than a fixed condition or status, to which someone might aspire so that, with the appropriate resources, people are more easily enabled to achieve their potential. Suggested definition of Health Promotion: According to WHO (1986), Health Promotion (HP) is the process that enables and encourages people to have an effective control of their lifestyle in order to improve their health. It argues that in order to reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Therefore, health promotion is not just the responsibility of the health sector, but goes beyond healthy life-styles to well-being. Assessment of health needs-consider why this is important The National
Doane and Varcoe state that relational nursing practice is seen “through a relational lens, always assuming and looking for how people, situations, contexts, environments, and processes are integrally connecting and shaping each other” (2008, p.51). This definition of relational practice can be applied to Health Promotion as it encompasses a holistic approach to health. The concepts of relational theory are dynamic to nursing practice as they are needed to establish a collaborative relationship between all involved resulting in better health care and health promotion. The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion states that “Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health” (World Health Organization [WHO], 1986, p. 1). The Ottawa charter describes Health promotion in a broad focus on health including education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the importance of client’s participation to influence on his or her own care and outcome.
The Holistic Medicine intends to restore health and wellness to the person as a whole, rather than rectifying the diseased part alone. On the other hand, traditional allopathic medicine focuses on the diseased part of the human beings. So, a physician committed to Holistic Medicine is expected to understand physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects of the individual’s life. Holistic medical practitioner sees his patients multi-dimensionally and tries to fix the whole body. On the contrary, the doctor carrying out traditional allopathic medicine will consider the affected body parts.
M3 - Assess the different methods that can be used for promoting and protecting public health Assess how these methods of protection and control Promote public health awareness and protect the public from disease. In this essay I will be both describing and evaluating the different methods used to promote and protect public health in the U.K. The main aims of promoting and protecting public health are to improve the general health of the population and to reduce health inequalities within the U.K. The government is a key part of all of this as they have produced many official documents, papers, reports and legislations in order to enhance overall public health. One of these documents is the White Paper which focuses on making choices
Performance measures indicate where an organization needs to make improvements in order to provide quality care. Consumer/patient satisfaction is the ultimate guide that indicates if an organization’s ongoing QI Plan is effective. One of the driving forces behind management in an organization is the overall basic aspect of performance measures. Quality Improvement process is based on customer/patient satisfaction and measures how the health care organization accommodates or exceeds consumer/patient
The goal of cultural competency is to decrease the racial and ethnic disparities that currently exist in the United States of America. The Joint Commission has identified culturally appropriate care as a priority and the standards now mandate educating staff in providing culturally appropriate care to all clients ("TJC," 2010). b. Thesis statement: Research suggests that providing culturally competent care improves healthcare quality because it influences healing, wellness and perception of illness. c. Main points: i. Understanding that cultural beliefs and practices of the clients will influence healing and wellness and establish a respectful relationship.
Public health encompasses protecting and improving the health of communities through coordinated efforts of governments, private and voluntary organisations and individuals. Nutritional medicine professionals contribute to public health through each of these channels. They develop policies and programs within public health nutrition, are involved in associations, as well as educate and motivate individuals in private practices. Their purpose is to improve the communities or individuals overall nutritional status. Increases in popularity of complementary therapies such as nutrition, and focuses of government policy on prevention, indicate nutritional medicine may become more relevant in public health in the future.