Health is viewed from a holistic perspective that recognizes the influence of biologic, psychologic, sociologic, and spiritual factors on the well-being of individuals, families, and communities. This perspective honors the unique thinking, feeling, and sensing capabilities of each person in interaction with the environment. Nursing actions that enhance holistic health of clients involve activities that are restorative, supportive, and promotive in nature . These constructs of holistic health are articulated in the curriculum as primary, secondary and tertiary prevention activities. Primary prevention is comprised of those activities that prevent the occurrence of an illness, a disease, or a health risk. Secondary prevention involves the early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of a condition or disease. Tertiary prevention focuses on rehabilitation and/or the prevention of recurrences or complications (Leavell & Clark, 1965). Primary, secondary and tertiary levels of prevention serve as a springboard for the role that prevention plays in health today as typified by Healthy People 2000 (1996), Healthy People 2010 (2000), and Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (1999). These documents have set the agenda for the way prevention is addressed from a national perspective. Nursing has reformulated the concepts of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention to address nursing actions that promote holistic health. The faculty is committed to encouraging holistic health of clients as individuals, families, groups and communities.
Disease and injury prevention encompasses health seeking and health promoting behaviors, in which each person has the opportunity to avoid illness or injury and to maximize health. Primary prevention activities facilitate disease and injury prevention, and are viewed as a vital part of achieving optimal health and well-being.
Health promotion activities provide opportunities for individuals to adopt behaviors and life-styles that obtain and maintain their optimal potential. Optimal potential is different and unique for each person, is influenced by the environment, and can be achieved through health promotion activities. Health promotion activities can be implemented in many phases and facets of the health experience.
Health restoration entails reestablishment of maximum potential following illness or injury. This recovery can be to the pre-illness or injury level, or to the highest obtainable health state following an encounter with an illness or injury.
Finally, health maintenance addresses the individual's ability to maintain optimal health and well-being. For some persons, this high state of health may be synonymous with wellness. The concept of wellness is not limited to the absence of limitations, but also pertains to the achievement of the best possible state of function for an individual, family or community.
Holistic health constructs of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention activities are utilized within each course as a framework for the processes of baccalaureate nursing. A variety of therapeutic nursing interventions are articulated within each process to achieve disease and injury prevention, health promotion, health restoration and health maintenance. These concepts are introduced in Theoretical Basis for Holistic Nursing and Health (Nursing 3209), and are further discussed in relation to the conceptual framework throughout the curriculum.
