The health-illness continuum is a graphic illustration of well-being, first proposed by John W. Travis and Regina S. Ryan (LeMone, 2017). It goes beyond the physical aspect of health and concentrates on well-being or wellness as more than just an absence of illness. This paper aims to discuss the relevance of the health-illness continuum to patient care and present a perspective on the author’s current state of health.
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The Health-Illness continuum is an essential framework that benefits patients’ health and improves the human experience inpatient care. According to this approach, health and illness can be described using a continuum with high-level health and wellness at one end and high levels of sickness and poor health, including death, at the other end. Patients’ status is evaluated according to this scale, and a healthcare plan is decided upon this evaluation.
The introduction of the “wellness” component is of significant importance as the concept of health is not necessarily always a goal. As researchers put it, “The concept of health is subjective and reflects an individual’s perspective of quality of life” (LeMone, 2017, p.17). Thus, moving on a scale from being sick to not showing any symptoms is just an intermittent goal. What healthcare providers should be thriving for is the high-level wellness that involves a contented mental state and flourishing.
This perspective is especially critical in health care and nursing. It allows us to address many issues that are not directly connected to the treatment of illness itself. Moreover, it provides an opportunity for practical evaluation of patients with chronic diseases. This holistic approach admits and welcomes different goals of healthcare. It goes beyond treating symptoms and allows to concentrate on patients’ mental and emotional state, providing support and means of leading a better life.
Value, dignity, and – in general – human flourishing have been deemed by the researchers as factors that contribute to the state of prosperity in individuals and society thriving in general. Human flourishing consists of many elements, “certainly including mental and physical health, but also encompassing happiness and life satisfaction, meaning and purpose, character and virtue, and close social relationships” (VanderWeele, 2017, p. 8148). Dignity is described as a quality “closely connected to esteem and status such that patients can live in accordance with their standards and values” (Xiao, Chow, Liu, & Chan, 2019, p. 1791). Therefore, for healthcare to be able to contribute to these spheres, it should concentrate on treating patients and not illnesses.
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Since the Health-Illness continuum approach is concentrated on the mental and physical state of patients, it can be used as an effective way to promote the value, dignity, and flourishing of patients. The concept of wellness that lies in the basis of the health-illness continuum “considers all facets of an individual including physical, psychological, cultural, spiritual and intellectual” (LeMone, 2017, p. 17). Therefore, by accepting this method, healthcare providers make a significant contribution to the well-being of individuals and society.
Looking at a patient as a person with mental needs and respecting their values allows doctors not only to maintain or restore their health but also to respect their dignity and prioritize their flourishing. It is especially significant in treating people with chronic diseases or in need of palliative care. For other patients, this approach shown by doctors and nurses might bring change to their everyday lives and teach valuable lessons on how to improve their well-being beyond healthcare situations.
My health state – if evaluated from the traditional point of view – is relatively satisfactory in general. I am young, moderately in shape, and do not suffer from having any chronic or acute diseases. I get seasonal colds twice a year and come from a family without cardiovascular
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