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how should we define health
essays on definition of health
essays on definition of health
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In my personal opinion the meaning of health is established by the individual. For some it might mean being completely disease free, but for others who are diagnosed with a chronic disease this might not be true. The fact that one might have a chronic condition does not necessarily automatically mean that the person can no longer possess the ability to be healthy. Health constitutes how the person is caring for themselves, regardless of their health history. It does not necessarily mean being disease free, but is determined by how involved the patient is in the healthcare decisions, in contrast to being passive as this can impact the state of wellbeing (Freidman, Bowden, & Jones, 2003, p.363), this involvement will impact how well controlled your disease is or may take part in remaining disease free. Health is established by the individual and perceived to be whatever it is the individual has established as a goal for themselves taking into consideration the “family’s value and belief system [as this] shape[s] its patterns of behavior toward the health problems that they face”(Freidman et al.,2003, p364). Once again quality of life can be perceived differently by many. In my opinion quality of life is being able to be self-sufficient. As I believe that once that standard has been compromised, then we are no longer at an optimal level in our quality of …show more content…
Give an example of a "hard spot" you have encountered during care of a client. Are you happy with how things progressed? Looking back, would you have handled anything differently? According to Doane and Varcoe (2006) a “hard spot” in nursing is defined as anything that is outside of what the nurse may consider the norm, it is a subjective stance that is taken on by the nurse when the patient’s views, decisions, or living conditions are contrary to that of the nurses that causes there to be a disconnection between the nurse and the family
‘Health’ is the ‘absence of disease’ within the physical and mental entities of the body and mind. This is a definition given in the literal sense of the word, although what it essentially translates to for one individual may not mean the same to another. A person can be unhealthy or lead an unhealthy lifestyle without the affliction of disease. Kathryn Mansfield has a subjective view and her account is relatively holistic and all-encompassing of her potential, as a person in body and mind, “By health, I mean the power to live a full adult, living, breathing life in close contact with what I love. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming.”
In 1948 the World Health Organisation (WHO) defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. (World Health Organization. 1946). Illness is what
(Health refers to the general condition of a person, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury
As defined by World Health Organization health is a "State of complete physical, mental, and social well being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” So much is made about whether health care should be a necessity and the costs and benefits of creating a national health care system. The debate can be centered upon ethical issues as well as economical feasibility. I believe health is the balance between your physical, mental and social well-being, in my opinion all three factors are essential for good health. I am a twenty year old Asian woman. In relation to health for myself, I consider it to mean being able to function sufficiently as a human being without significant pain, disease and psychological problems. It also means
Health is described as “the general condition of the body or mind, especially in terms of the presence or absence of illness or impairments.” Health can also be defined as “the overall condition of something in terms of soundness, vitality and proper functioning” (Oxford, 263). From the definitions of health given, one can either be in good health or in unhealthy.
So of course it makes sense that nurses encounter patients that are out of their league and just hard to care. Despite the differences, it’s important that the nurses treat every individual the same. Nurses need to understand how to treat every individual, who their patient’s support system is, and how he/she affects surrounding people. When seeing a patient, don’t judge a book by its cover. It’s necessary to put all biases aside and diagnose the patient correctly. And in the meantime, it’s quite nice to get to know the patient. See who their support system is. See who they live with. See what they like to do in the free time. These details can help with the diagnosis and it’ll help the patients to feel more comfortable. Especially since it’s not so fun being at a
A patient and client are one in the same in the present nursing profession. A client is first and foremost more than a name on a chart or a number in the system. They are a person with thoughts, words, deeds, and a need for care. To truly embody what a client is one needs to combine definitions. A client is a person seeking professional and protective medical care with a need for concern, understanding, and top quality of care. Health and illness are two sides of a coin. Some may view health as the absence of illness and alternatively, illness as the lack of good health. However, each goes beyond being the simple opposite of the other. Health is not just the absence of illness but the embodiment of well-being, comfort, and wellness of body, mind and spirit. Illness can be as simple as a cold, a bodily injury, and on to a disease of the mind. Both health and illness can be simply defined but to truly understand what it is to be healthy and to be ill one must look beyond the simple and see all the aspects of each.
In nursing or any branch of healthcare a person will be faced with a number of biased opinions they personally have to deal with. That is the nature of the beast when you are taking care of every type of walk of life. Along with getting to know the patient, I have to leave my opinions and expectations at the patient’s door. Everyone reacts differently when seeking treatment. My opinions should not reflect upon the care I provide to my patients.
The negative is where health is perceived to be the absence of disease or abnormalities in the body. This is similar to the positive is where health focuses on the presence of certain attributes, rather than the absence of them. This is different from the world health organisation (WHO 2008) where health requires a person to be completely physically, mentally and socially well, but not just the absence of disease and illness. This also requires the person to be socially and economically productive in order to be seen as healthy. According to Mildred Blaxter (1990), there are different ways of defining health. Furthermore, disease can be seen as the presence of an abnormality in part of the body or where there is a harmful physical change in the body such as broken bones. So, illness is the physical state of disease that is to say, the symptoms that a person feels because of the disease. However, there is some limitation of these definitions which is not merely an absence of disease but a state of physical, mental, spiritual and social wellbeing. (Haralambos and Holbon 2009 p: 50).
The notion of health is contextual and an interactive, dynamic process between person and environment (Schim et al, 2007). Both wellness and illness are conceptualized by the ‘person’, existing on a continuum across the lifespan (Arnold & Boggs, 2001).
Health is the state of maximum potential. Maximum potential varies from person to person and does not mean being illness or injury free. A person with a chronic disease may not be able to be completely illness free however, with the assistance of nursing care can be considered healthy when they are at the healthiest they can be. Virginia Henderson defines health as independence, however I believe it doesn’t need to be complete independence, rather the maximum independence a person is able to achieve. The ultimate goal of a nurse should be to facilitate the patient’s health goals, while encouraging them to exceed their goals if realistic. Health is a continuum and may be constantly changing with the goal to regain and maintain health as quickly and for as long as possible.
Nursing is a profession that can be both rewarding and challenging at the same time. Some of the challenges are easy to overcome but others are complicated for the nurses to handle. As a student in the nursing program we are attending clinical sites for our clinical rotation. For example, two days ago I was at one of the clinical sites and the staff was short. There were only two nurses on the floor. Walking in that morning I can tell the atmosphere
The World Health Organisation (WHO) came up with the most commonly used definition for health, which has not changed for over 60 years. They say that it is ‘’a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’’ (WHO, 1948), therefore meaning there are many more things to consider with health other than just death rates.
Health can be defined as a state of being “whole” not just the absence of illness or disease.
Health is described as physical and mental well-being and freedom from disease, pain or defect. However, such descriptions only superficially define the actual meaning of health. There may be many occasions when individuals are not necessarily ill or in pain but may be overweight, stressed or emotionally unstable. Health is a quality of life involving dynamic interaction and interdependence among the individual’s physical state, their mental and emotional reactions, and the social context in which the individual exists. There are many factors that influence your health, but three major components contribute to general well-being: Self-awareness, a balanced diet and, regular physical activity.