Health Illness Continuum and its Importance in Caring for Patients

Running head: HEALTH ILLNESS CONTINUUM
HEALTH ILLNESS CONTINUUM
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HEALTH ILLNESS CONTINUUM
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