Health Illness Continuum and its Importance in Caring for Patients

This article discusses the health-illness continuum and its significance in patient care. It explains how nurses can utilize this framework to promote holistic well-being and prevent illness. The importance of physical, mental, and emotional health is emphasized.

Running head: HEALTH ILLNESS CONTINUUM
HEALTH ILLNESS CONTINUUM
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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Health-illness continuum and its importance in caring for patients:
The health illness continuum can be explained as the graphic illustration of well being
which John Travis first proposed in the year 1972. It focuses on the concept that well-being is
more than simply an absence of disorders and ailments but it also at the same time focuses on
the need to individual mental as well as emotional health. The author was of the opinion that
the standard approach to medications that the healthcare professionals followed could never
ensure better quality lives of the patients (Edelman et al., 2017). It assumed that a person is
well only when there are no signs or symptoms of disorders. However, these have been
criticised by modern day researchers who believes that achieving a holistic health with stable
physical, mental, emotional as well as spiritual attributes can only help individuals to love
high quality life. A person without having any disorder but having poor emotional and mental
health, can never live happy and peaceful lives (Morse, 2016). Hence, the graphic
representation of Travis called the health-illness continuum is accepted by all professionals in
the modern day healthcare services.
Nursing professionals can follow the health-illness continuum to ensure that their
patients are being able to live better quality life not only physically but also mentally and
emotionally. As per the graphical representations, the nurse can utilise medications for
treatment of injuries symptoms and disabilities for bringing the patients to the neutral point
where they would be having no visible illness. However, the patient should be then guided to
move towards the wellness paradigm to reach the optimal mental as well as emotional states
towards the right of the figure. This can be done through the successful stages of awareness,
education as well as growth. Nurses should also know that the outlook of the patient can
affect wellness (Falvo & Holland, 2017). Positive outlook will result in enhancing the health
and wellbeing while negative outlook will hinder it independent of the status. Present day
researchers are of the opinion that health-illness continuum can be considered as the

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framework that can promote preventive treatment and improve well being of an individual
even before he presents with signs and symptoms of illness. They can be educated in order to
be aware of and avoid risk factors to protect him from pathology and premature deaths.
Hence, nurses should not only counsel and educate already affected patient to move towards
right of the continuum but also use it to patients who are in neutral point and enable them to
move towards right though effective health promotion and preventive treatments.
Reflection on the overall state of health:
Presently, I am falling towards the right side of the neutral point especially in the
wellness arm although I have not yet reached the high level of wellness. I know the
importance of staying physically fit and therefore I engage myself in lots of rigorous physical
activities like swimming, attending gymnasiums, cycling, walking and many others. I have
developed health literacy and I have come to know that being physically unfit might make me
obese or overweight. Obesity and overweight increases the risks of developing diabetes,
cardiovascular disorders, osteoarthritis, respiratory issues and many others (Stoddart &
Evans, 2017). Therefore, being physically fit and having diet plans that comprise of most
fibres and greens can help in controlling the body weight and managing obesity (Polan et al.,
2019). This has kept me physically fit. I have developed awareness and education in ways by
which I can live better quality lives by ensuring better health and well-being and refraining
from negative health habit like smoking and alcohol consumption. The health education
achieved by me as per my health care degrees and the different health promotions programs
that I have attended had supported me. However, huge work pressures and not getting enough
time for myself, make me feel burned out and fatigued. I feel stressed emotionally when I
cannot find time for leisure. This has been the barriers towards achievement of high level of
wellness. I have to develop my time management skill to overcome these barriers to wellness.

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Options and the resources available to move towards wellness:
My community has lost of scopes for participating in different co-curricular activities
and this helps me in being fit physically. The community club has swimming sessions where
I take part actively. Moreover, they also have developed lush green fields in the
neighbourhood where I often undertake jogging sessions. The community has four
gymnasiums where I am a regular visitor. In this way, the community has helped in
developing an environment where individuals can take part in fitness activities. However, I
have realised that I have issues with my self-regulation abilities as I cannot manage my
emotions and cannot regulate them properly hurting others as well as myself. Therefore, I
have decided to join mindfulness based therapy sessions, take meditation sessions and do
yoga as well. Mindfulness based therapy sessions, meditation sessions and yoga help in
developing self-regulation skills (Gage-Bouchard, 2017). This would help me manage my
emotions successfully even when I have too high work pressures and commitments to fulfil. I
also went through different time management blogs on the internet and these would help me
develop my time-management skills. All these would contribute to my mental and emotional
stability besides being physically fit.

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References:
Edelman, C. L., Mandle, C. L., & Kudzma, E. C. (2017). Health promotion throughout the
life span. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Falvo, D., & Holland, B. E. (2017). Medical and psychosocial aspects of chronic illness and
disability. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Gage-Bouchard, E. A. (2017). Social support, flexible resources, and health care
navigation. Social Science & Medicine, 190, 111-118.
Morse, J. M. (2016). Qualitative health research: Creating a new discipline. Routledge.
Polan, E. U., & Taylor, D. R. (2019). Journey across the life span: Human development and
health promotion. FA Davis.
Stoddart, G. L., & Evans, R. G. (2017). Producing health, consuming health care. In Why are
some people healthy and others not? (pp. 27-64). Routledge.