Health Illness Continuum.

1. Health- Illness Continuum

2.  Illness is the emotional state connected to loss of
health.
 According to WHO, “Health is a complete state of
physical, mental, social wellbeing not merely
absence of any disease or infirmity.
 The health status of the individual is one of
continual change.

3.  The health-illness continuum illustrates this
process of change, in which the individual
experiences various states of health and illness
(ranging from extremely good health to death)
that fluctuate throughout his life.
 The Illness-Wellness Continuum proposes that
individuals can move farther to the right, towards
greater health and wellbeing, passing through the
stages of awareness, education, and growth.

5.  Continuum means chain of events that changes
gradually without any clear points.
 Health is a variable component which changes time to
time to make adjustment with the internal or external
variables.
 The Health illness continuum is a graphic
representation of the wellness of an individual.
 This concept was first proposed by John W. Travis.
According to him a person is not only considered to
be healthy based on the absence of disease but also
wellness of mental and emotional health.
 In this Travis model right side shows a high level of
wellness i.e. achievement of optimum health and the
left side shows premature death.

6.  Here Travis wants to explain medicine and
physical treatment can only move health to a
neutral point where all can see no sign of illness.
After this neutral point, it depends on the
individual how he can move himself to optimum
health which is a high level of wellness.
 To achieve high level of wellness individual need
to pass through three stages like awareness,
education and growth.
 Individuals attitude towards health also affect. If
individual have positive attitude, he moves
towards right side that means to achieving good
health. But if individual have negative attitude he
will move left side.

7. Role of Nurse in achieving good
health
 Nurse can determine clients stage of health and
position at health illness model.
 Nurse can also recognize risk factors that are
causing degradation in health of client, it may be
genetics, or physiological.
 She can also prevent the illness through awareness,
educating the client.
 Nurses need to use this model for the prevention
and maintenance of public health. Nurses can
identify the stage of the health of the person and
then find out the solution. It may through awareness
or education or providing physical treatment.

8. Reference
 SOUMYA RANJAN PARIDA. Facts You Must Know About Health Illness Continuum - Nurse
In Nursing