Discuss how the concept of “health” has changed overtime. Discuss how the concept has evolved to include wellness, illness, and overall well-being. How has health promotion changed over time? Why is it important that nurses implement health promotion interventions based on evidence-based practice?

Concept of Health-Sample Solution

The healthcare concept has undergone immense changes over time. In ancient Greece, people associated ill health as a punishment for sinning against their supernatural being. In this case, people prayed and performed sacrifices to seek clemency from their gods. However, Hippocrates made a significant break out in the health concept by establishing the relationship between personal/environmental cleanliness with disease origin. In the 19th century, Florence Nightingale claimed that a clean environment was crucial to health and healing Pfettscher, S. A. (2021). Later health was defined as merely the absence of disease. In the 21st century, the health concept has further evolved as the WHO (2022) defines health as “the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely absence of a disease.”(Changes in Heathcare Concept Essay-Sample)

Subsequently, health promotion has evolved in response to increased knowledge of health issues and societal changes. Health promotion aids in gaining control of disease/injuries to improve and maintain overall well-being. The increase in knowledge within the medical field has allowed healthcare providers to offer healthcare promotions depending on the needs of the patients. For instance, health providers use primary preventative strategies to improve health among individuals at risk of developing various diseases or injuries. Unlike traditional methods, new health promotion strategies improve individual risk groups, families, or the entire community. For instance, nurses offer education on the prevention of falls among the elderly or educate family members that have a risk of developing cardiovascular disorders or cancers based on familial origin.(Changes in Heathcare Concept Essay-Sample)

Notably, nurses should implement health promotion strategies based on evidence-based practice. Evidence-based practice has also played an instrumental role in the growth of health promotion strategies. EBP integrates the available research with clinical expertise to offer the best care available (Brown, 2022). In health promotion, EBP develops, implements, and plans health care plans derived from tested interventions or models to improve health care issues in an ecological concept. Therefore, evidence-based interventions effectively meet the healthcare needs of individual patients and the community.(Changes in Heathcare Concept Essay-Sample)

References

Brown, D. (2020). A review of the PubMed PICO tool: using evidence-based practice in health education. Health promotion practice, 21(4), 496-498.

Pfettscher, S. A. (2021). Florence Nightingale: modern nursing. Nursing Theorists and Their Work E-Book, 52.

The World Health Organisation (WHO). (2022). Constitution. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution