The definition of health is evolving. The classic definition of health, according to the WHO, is that health is “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (World Health Organization, 2005).” This definition considers several dimensions, the physical, social, role, mental, and general perceptions of health status. Looking for other definitions of health, I found that health is also defined as” a state of well-being in which the person is able to use purposeful, adaptive responses and processes physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and socially” (Blais & Hayes, 2011), “realization of human potential through goal-directed behavior, competent self-care, and satisfying relationships with others” (Méndez et al., 2020), and even and a state of a person that is characterized by soundness or wholeness of developed human structures and of bodily and mental functioning (Orem, 2001).

The variety of characterizations of the word illustrates the difficulty in standardizing the conceptualization of health. To me, health is a holistic state of positive well-being that includes the internal and external equilibrium of physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being in individuals and their surroundings. My definition of health is somehow similar to that of the WHO, in that both consider health as being multifaceted and view heath as more than just the absence of diseases.

Understanding patients’ perception of their health plays an important role in identifying health goals and realistic strategies to achieve these goals. Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) play a significant role in health promotion for individuals and communities (York, 2021). Not only they can assist their patients in managing acute and chronic illnesses, but they can also serve the community on a larger scale by being involved in legislation and policies that promote health and wellbeing.

Blais, K., & Hayes, J. S. (2011). Professional nursing practice: Concepts and perspectives (6th ed.). Pearson.

Méndez N., Rodríguez V., Orellana A., & Valenzuela S. (2020). Nursing intervention in health promotion for people on hemodialysis, disciplinary perspective: Integrative review. Revista Cubana de Fisica, 37(1), 54–64.

Orem, D. E., Taylor, S. G., & Renpenning, K. M. L. (2001). Nursing: Concepts of practice. St. Louis: Mosby.

York, R. (2021). Perceptions and beliefs about the regulation of advanced nurse practitioners. Nursing Management – UK, 28(4), 30–35. https://doi.org/10.7748/nm.2021.e1999

Value: 100 points

Due: Initial post by Day 3, Response by Day 7.

Grading Category: Discussions

Initial Post

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (World Health Organization, 2005). This 1946 historical definition of health remains pertinent to this day, and it helps to guide not only our perception of health but also that of illness. For this week’s discussion, you should review the WHO’s definition of health and do an online search to see how others perceive the concept of health, then create your own definition. Consider that there are individuals who have physical abnormalities but do not feel “ill,” and those with no physical changes who yet report feeling “less than well.” How might these two statements affect the overall balance or well-being of an individual and their outlook on their total health? What is the role of the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in terms of addressing the health of individuals and communities?

Include the following in your initial post:

1. Discuss your own personal definition of health.
2. How does your definition compare to the WHO’s definition of health?
3. What do you see as the role of the APRN in addressing not only the health of individuals but that of the community?
4. Include a minimum of three scholarly references.

Reply Posts

When replying to your classmates, compare your post to the content of your peers and answer the following questions. Reply to at least two of your classmates on two separate days (minimum), utilizing at least two scholarly references per peer post.

Reply 1: Using the definition of health and an individual’s perception of their own health, how can you distinguish between a vulnerable individual versus a vulnerable group?

Reply 2: Compare and contrast your personal definition of health to that of a peer. Are you satisfied with your definition? Why or why not?

Please refer to the for details on how this activity will be graded.

Posting to the Discussion Forum

1. Select the appropriate Thread.
2. Select Reply.
3. Create your post.
4. Select Post to Forum.

Our bodies are magnificent machines that carry us through life. Health is so much more than just what you put into your body and expend. It is a partnership that is lifelong. It is a relationship between mind and body. To me, healthy is a balance of listening to, honoring, and respecting our bodies. According to Dr. Myron Wentz, a microbiologist and immunologist, “true health is being absolutely the best you can be with the conditions you were given and the situation in which you now live. True health is not just the absence of disease. It is empowering our bodies to perform at their optimum level” (Wagner, 2016, p. 113).

Similar to the World Health Organization’s definition of health “as a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity” (World Health Organization, 2005), I believe health is multifaceted. As healthcare professionals, our focus should be to ensure that we acknowledge and respect each and every dimension of an individual’s health. Alternatively, I also believe that health is defined by the individual patient. Personal definitions can fluctuate as health is “shaped not only by health care, but by personal behaviors, genetics, and protective and risk factors (e.g., economic status, stress response, working conditions)” (Witt et al., 2017) This definition recognizes the varying degrees of health depending on culture, environment, and social determinants.

Advanced Practicing Registered Nurses (APRN) play a significant role within primary care and have the potential to concentrate on prevention and health promotion.  The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s 2020 Policy brief stated that “a patient survey on provider preferences found similar results regarding patient age, showing a greater openness to an NP as PCP among younger patients” (James & Auerbach, 2020). This unique relationship allows NP’s to develop long term relationships which can further influence lifestyle and health choices. Extending beyond the primary care office, APRN’s have the ability to practice at community health clinics, college campuses, urgent cares, military bases, and much more. They are a community resource for advocacy, education, and health promotion.

Resources:

James, H., & Auerbach, D. (2020, May 6). HPC Policy Brief. Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.

Pender, N., Murdaugh, C. L., & Parsons, M. (2015). Health promotion in nursing practice (7th ed.). Pearson Education.

Wagner, H. (2016). Find Your Brave, Courage to Stand Strong When the Waves Crash In. Crown Publishing Group.

World Health Organization. (2005). Who definition of public health – public health. Public Health. 

Witt, C. M., Chiaramonte, D., Berman, S., Chesney, M. A., Kaplan, G. A., Stange, K. C., Woolf, A. H., & Berman, M. B. (2017, July). Defining Health in a Comprehensive Context: A New Definition of Integrative Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(1). DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2016.11.029

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource

Discussion Question Rubric

Note: Scholarly resources are defined as evidence-based practice, peer-reviewed journals; textbook (do not rely solely on your textbook as a reference); and National Standard Guidelines. Review assignment instructions, as this will provide any additional requirements that are not specifically listed on the rubric.

Note: The value of each of the criterion on this rubric represents a point range. (example: 17-0 points)