Posted: September 8th, 2023

As part of the paradigms of health

1.My name is Ceria Mok Yam, I came from Venezuela 8 years ago and currently living in Miami with my husband and 2 little kids. I am a foreign medical doctor and as part of my goals to continue working in the healthcare field I became a registered nurse last year and decided to continue my path through the family nurse practitioner program. Right now, I am fully dedicated to my classes and family. My hobbies usually include a pleasant restaurant and playgrounds or kids’ friendly activities. And my long term goals include working as a PCP in a medical office once I complete my FNP.

During this first week, I am going to discuss the use of the paradigms of health, by linking between health and behavior, and describing how this relationship affects social determinants of health.

As part of the paradigms of health, John Travis, a medical practitioner, developed a model of wellbeing called The Illness-Wellness Continuum, which explain the constant dynamic between different degrees of wellness and illness, starting from a neutral point in the center of the graphic, from which a patient can move to the left showing a progressively worsening level of health, or moving to the right, indicating an increase state of health, and wellbeing (Lothes & Kantor, 2021). This model tries to explain that in the healthcare field, the absent of a disease does not necessarily mean that a person is healthy, it describes how a patient with physical injuries, symptoms, and disabilities can be treated in a way to achieve the neutral point. However, the wellness paradigms explain that additional progression to the right side of the model is necessary to ensure not only physical but emotional and mental wellness.

In order to achieve a higher level of wellness, it is essential to determine the effect of medical treatments, behavior, and socioeconomic status in the patient’s health condition; acquiring a more holistic approach can help nursing professionals better understand the importance of a individualized plan of care specific to each patient.

Some of the elements that might influence the paradigms of health include the education level (Solanki, Shankar Rath, Silan, & Singh, 2020). It is known that those with higher education levels and literacy usually engage in healthy behaviors, compared with individuals with lower education preparation and less access to information about healthy habits. Socioeconomic status has a significant impact on health conducts and conditions (Solanki, Shankar Rath, Silan, & Singh, 2020). Patients with financial challenges and reduced access to resources can have difficulties fulfilling their health goals. Also, patients with chronic disease can lead to job loss, worsening his or her resources and status.

Cultural and social support, family, close relatives, and friends, as well as community members may influence in the patient’s capacity to engage in healthy behaviors, which includes physical activities preferences, cultural habits, food options, emotional states, capacity to express themselves, and others.

In conclusion, the comprehension of the paradigms of health can help nursing professional and healthcare providers in general, to assess the individual health status and address social determinants of health in order to create interventions that provide adequate resources and promote healthier conducts, which consequently improve their overall status.

2. My name is Anny Morales Souquett, I am a foreign doctor, specialist in Gynecology and Obstetrics. I arrived in the EEUU in 2018. I live in Miami. In 2020 I started nursing school and finish in December 2022. I did the Nclex in February 2023. I currently work as a Care Coordinator, taking care of the needs of patients with Highly Complex, High Risk, and High Utilizer. In my spare time, I enjoy walking in the parks, going to the beach, and traveling with my family. My favorite movies are Start Wars and Disney movies. In 5 years, I visualize myself as a Nurse Practitioner of a Gynecological medical office, providing the best care to my patients, doing prevention, and teaching them to provide their lifestyle. I am sure that the class will help me understand this topic much better.

Understanding how societal and personal variables affect well-being requires using the paradigms of health to investigate the connection between health and behavior. Social determinants of health, which are the circumstances under which people are born, develop, live, work, and age and which affect health outcomes, are significantly impacted by this relationship. Three references who are no older than five years old provide the following overview of this relationship:

The biomedical perspective has a history of emphasizing the physical components of health and frequently views disorders as distinct entities. Modern biological research does, however, recognize the significant influence that behavior has on health consequences. According to research, lifestyle factors like food, exercise, and drug use significantly affect how chronic diseases start and advance (Danaei et al., 2019). Healthcare professionals can better meet the needs of each patient by customizing therapies and prevention measures by understanding these linkages.

The biopsychosocial paradigm takes a comprehensive approach to health, considering biological, psychological, and social variables. Health is understood to be both a result of behavior and its primary cause. Stress-related harmful behaviors, such as smoking or binge eating, can have an impact on one’s physical health (Taylor et al., 2017). A holistic approach to healthcare must consider how these aspects interact.

Social Determinants of Health: Social determinants of health are closely related to the connection between behavior and health. Individual behaviors and health outcomes are significantly influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors. For instance, socioeconomic gaps might prevent disadvantaged groups from having access to nutritious food options and secure spaces for physical activity, which can result in harmful habits and worsened health (Braveman et al., 2017). The significance of tackling social determinants to lessen health disparities is highlighted by the recognition of these relationships.

It is crucial to comprehend how behavior and health interact within the framework of these paradigms to create public health strategies and policies that are efficient. Policymakers and healthcare practitioners can create treatments that target both individual behaviors and the larger societal contexts that drive such behaviors by considering the complex web of variables that affect health outcomes.

As you mentioned, John Travis’ Illness-Wellness Continuum model provides a useful framework for conceptualizing health as existing on a dynamic spectrum, rather than as a simple binary state. Achieving optimal wellness involves not just treating illness or injury, but actively promoting emotional, mental and social well-being. Understanding how medical, behavioral and socioeconomic variables intersect in a patient’s life is key to developing truly individualized care plans.
A few studies over the past decade have shed light on some of the key social determinants of health. Research has shown that higher education is often correlated with healthier behaviors and outcomes, as more educated individuals tend to have greater health literacy and access to information (Solanki et al., 2020). Socioeconomic factors like income and employment stability also profoundly impact one’s ability to engage in healthy behaviors and manage chronic conditions (Solanki et al., 2020). Cultural and social support networks can either facilitate or impede wellness-promoting behaviors by influencing lifestyle preferences, emotional support systems, and access to resources (Braveman et al., 2017; Taylor et al., 2017).
The biopsychosocial model reminds us that biological, psychological and social variables all interact to determine health and well-being (Taylor et al., 2017). A holistic, multi-factorial understanding of health is necessary for healthcare providers to address both individual and population-level needs. By considering how medical, behavioral and social determinants intersect in a patient’s life experience, we can work to reduce health disparities and empower all individuals and communities to achieve optimal wellness.

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