Compare And Contrast The Four Models Of Health Promotion

Providing individualized education is a challenge for nurses and other healthcare professionals. Many factors must be taken into account to be able offer individualized education in health promotion. The nurse has to understand that health means different things to different people and there are many factors that influence this thought process. Some of the factors that have to be taken into consideration are culture, age, sex, and education level, social, economic situations and varied learning styles. In addition to the variables that must be examined, there are also four different concepts of health and they ways they are viewed. The nurse first has to determine which model the individual falls under. When the nurse understands the patient’s view of health promotion, only then will she be able to guide and provide education on health promotion.

The Four Models of Health:
The Clinical Model – Health is defined by the absence, and illness by the conspicuous presence, of signs and symptoms of disease. People who use this model may not seek preventive health services or they may wait until they are very ill to seek care. The clinical model is the conventional model of the discipline of medicine. (Edelman & Mandle, 2010)
Role performance includes work, family, and social roles, with performance based on societal expectations. Illness would be the failure to perform roles at the level of others in society. This model is the basis for occupational health evaluations, school physical examinations, and physician-excused absences. The idea of the sick “sick role,” which excuses people from performing their social functions, is s a vital component of the role performance model. It is argued that the sick role is still relevant in health care today. (Edelman & Mandle,