Factors affecting health and wellbeing
Factors affecting health and wellbeing
Factors affecting health and wellbeing
One of the nurse's primary functions is to assist patients in reaching an optimal level of wellness. When assessing patients, the nurse must be aware of factors that affect their health status and plan to tailor interventions accordingly. Such factors include the following:
genetics (biological and genetic makeup that causes illness and chronic conditions)
cognitive abilities (which affect a person's view of health and ability to seek out resources)
demographic factors, such as age and sex (certain diseases are more prevalent in a certain age group or sex)
geographic location (which predisposes a person to certain conditions)
culture (which determines a person's perception of health, the motivation to seek care and the types of health practices performed)
lifestyle and environment (such as diet, level of activity and exposure to toxins)
health beliefs and practices (which can affect health either positively or negatively)
previous health experiences (which influence reactions to illness and the decision to seek care)
spirituality (which affects a person's view of illness and health care)
support systems (which affect the degree to which a person adapts and copes with a situation).
Think of health as a level of wellness that's unique to the individual. One of my primary functions is to help patients reach their optimal level of wellness.
Illness defined
Nurses must understand the concept of illness, particularly how illness may affect the patient. Illness may be defined as a sickness or deviation from a healthy state. It's considered a broader concept than disease. Disease commonly refers to a specific biological or psychological problem that's supported by clinical manifestations and results in a body system or organ malfunction. (See Disease development.) Illness, on the other hand, occurs when a person is no longer in a state of perceived normal' health. A person may have a disease but not be ill all the time because his or her body has adapted to the disease.
What does it mean to you?
Illness also encompasses how the patient interprets the disease's source and importance, how the disease affects the patient's behaviour and relationships with others and how the patient tries to remedy the problem. Another significant component is the meaning that a person attaches to the experience of being ill.
Disease development
A disease is usually detected when it causes a change in metabolism or cell division that produces signs and symptoms of the disease. How the cells respond to disease depends on the causative agent and the affected cells, tissues and organs. In the absence of intervention, resolution of the disease depends on many factors functioning over a period of time, such as the extent of disease and the presence of other diseases. Manifestations of disease may include hypofunction, hyperfunction or increased or decreased mechanical function.
Disease stages
Typically, diseases progress through the following stages:
exposure or injury - target tissue exposed to a causative agent or injury
latency or incubation period - no evident signs or symptoms
prodromal period - generally mild nonspecific signs and symptoms
acute phase - disease at its full intensity, possibly with complications; called the subclinical acute phase if the patient still functions as though the disease weren't present
remission - second latency phase that occurs in some diseases and is commonly followed by another acute phase
convalescence - progression towards recovery
recovery - return of health or normal functioning; no remaining signs or symptoms of disease.
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