Health Promotion
Health Promotion
The field of healthcare has been changing continuously. Healthcare was once viewed as the treatment and curing of diseases and illnesses. Currently, healthcare has begun to focus on preventing diseases and educating people about healthy lifestyles so that diseases do not have a chance to progress. This type of healthcare is known as Health Promotion. Health promotion encourages better health in communities through the collaboration between the community and the healthcare system. It gives people the ability to control factors that can affect their health before needing intensive care for their diseases or illnesses. Health promotion seeks to provide optimal health standards for the public (Levine, 2006). There are three levels of health promotion which seek to continue to promote optimal health considering the absence or presence of a disease according to the doctor and the absence or presence of a patients illness. The primary level of health prevention aims to decrease the probability or occurrence of the disease (Levine, 2006). Immunizations, health education, fitness programs, and similar lifestyle education are factors that contribute to primary prevention mechanisms (Levine, 2006). Populations that are receiving primary prevention regimens have neither the disease nor the illness present. Secondary prevention involves screening to detect and treat diseases before they occur at the earliest stage. At this level of prevention the illness is absent but the disease may be present. Tertiary prevention attempts to improve the quality of life in individuals who have already contracted both the disease and the illness. This level of prevention seeks to reduce complications and disability in the patient from the disease and illness (Levine, 2006). Health promotion is a very important duty for nurses and as highly trained professionals in healthcare, they have an important role in implementing their education to the public. Unlike many other
The field of healthcare has been changing continuously. Healthcare was once viewed as the treatment and curing of diseases and illnesses. Currently, healthcare has begun to focus on preventing diseases and educating people about healthy lifestyles so that diseases do not have a chance to progress. This type of healthcare is known as Health Promotion. Health promotion encourages better health in communities through the collaboration between the community and the healthcare system. It gives people the ability to control factors that can affect their health before needing intensive care for their diseases or illnesses. Health promotion seeks to provide optimal health standards for the public (Levine, 2006). There are three levels of health promotion which seek to continue to promote optimal health considering the absence or presence of a disease according to the doctor and the absence or presence of a patients illness. The primary level of health prevention aims to decrease the probability or occurrence of the disease (Levine, 2006). Immunizations, health education, fitness programs, and similar lifestyle education are factors that contribute to primary prevention mechanisms (Levine, 2006). Populations that are receiving primary prevention regimens have neither the disease nor the illness present. Secondary prevention involves screening to detect and treat diseases before they occur at the earliest stage. At this level of prevention the illness is absent but the disease may be present. Tertiary prevention attempts to improve the quality of life in individuals who have already contracted both the disease and the illness. This level of prevention seeks to reduce complications and disability in the patient from the disease and illness (Levine, 2006). Health promotion is a very important duty for nurses and as highly trained professionals in healthcare, they have an important role in implementing their education to the public. Unlike many other
Citations: Nursing and health promotion. The Aboriginal Nurse. FindArticles.com. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3911/is_200012/ai_n8923039/ on April 23, 2011. Levine, B.S. (Ed.). (2006). Cardiac/vascular nursing review and resource manual, 2nd Ed. Maryland: American Nurses Credentialing Center. Dolgun, Gülümser Dolgun. (2011). The Role of the Nurse on Health Promotion and Health Maintenance of Adolescents. Türkpediatriarsivi. Web. 24 Apr. 2011. . Bowden, Jonny. (2011). Total heart health: keeping your heart in shape. Amazing Wellness. Retrieved from on April 23, 2011.