NRS-420 Health Assessment / Human Experience Across the Health–Illness Continuum

Benchmark Assignment: Human Experience Across the Health–Illness Continuum Paper

Assessment Overview

Course: NRS-420 Health Assessment / Human Experience Across the Health–Illness Continuum (upper-division BSN or RN–BSN)
Assessment type: Individual benchmark written paper focused on applying the health–illness continuum to a specific person and condition
Length: 1,000 to 1,250 words, approximately three to four double-spaced pages, excluding the title page and references
Weighting: 15 to 20 percent of the course grade, typically positioned as a mid-course or later benchmark
Purpose: Assess the student’s ability to link a real or hypothetical individual’s experience to the health–illness continuum, determinants of health, and person-centred nursing care across settings

Task Description

Topic and Person Selection

Select one individual or a clearly defined representative case living with a chronic or life-altering condition commonly encountered in nursing practice, such as:

• Type 2 diabetes mellitus

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Ischaemic heart disease or heart failure

• Major depressive disorder or generalised anxiety disorder

• Rheumatoid arthritis or another long-term musculoskeletal condition

• Cancer, such as breast or colorectal cancer, during active treatment or survivorship

You may use a de-identified patient from clinical practice, a composite case, or a well-documented case from the literature. All personal identifiers must be removed, and specific organisations must not be named.

Required Paper Structure

Use the following APA 7 level-one headings:

• Introduction

• Health–Illness Continuum Concept

• Placement of the Individual on the Health–Illness Continuum

• Determinants of Health and Lived Experience

• Nursing Assessment and Support Across the Continuum

• Conclusion

Section Guidance

Introduction (approximately 100 to 150 words)

• Introduce the health–illness continuum as a framework that views health as a dynamic and evolving state rather than a fixed condition.

• Briefly identify the chosen condition and the type of individual or scenario being examined.

• Conclude with a clear purpose statement outlining the focus on the continuum, individual placement, determinants of health, and nursing support.

Health–Illness Continuum Concept (approximately 200 to 250 words)

• Definition: Explain the health–illness continuum, including concepts such as high-level wellness, normal health, illness, and pre-mature death, and emphasise movement along the continuum over time.

• Relevance to nursing practice: Discuss why the continuum is useful for nurses, particularly in prevention, early intervention, and person-centred planning.

• Connection to assessment: Explain how subjective and objective assessment data help nurses determine a person’s current position and potential future trajectory.

Placement of the Individual on the Health–Illness Continuum (approximately 200 to 250 words)

• Case summary: Provide a concise overview of the individual’s current health status, including diagnosis, symptom pattern, functional ability, and recent changes.

• Continuum position: Clearly state where the individual is placed on the continuum at this point in time.

• Justification: Support the placement using two to three specific assessment indicators such as symptom burden, functional limitations, mental health status, or engagement with self-management.

Determinants of Health and Lived Experience (approximately 250 to 300 words)

• Key determinants: Identify at least three determinants of health influencing the individual’s experience and health trajectory.

• Lived experience: Describe how these determinants shape daily life, coping strategies, and interaction with the health system.

• Movement along the continuum: Explain how certain determinants support movement toward wellness while others increase the risk of worsening illness.

Nursing Assessment and Support Across the Continuum (approximately 250 to 300 words)

• Assessment priorities: Identify priority assessment domains relevant to the individual’s current continuum position.

• Goals: State one to two short-term goals and one to two longer-term goals that nursing care aims to achieve.

• Nursing actions: Describe three to five specific nursing interventions that support movement toward improved stability or wellness across care settings.

Conclusion (approximately 100 to 150 words)

• Reinforce the value of the health–illness continuum in clarifying current status and future risk.

• Summarise how determinants of health, lived experience, and targeted nursing support can alter health trajectories over time and inform nursing practice.

Assignment Requirements and Formatting

• Word count must be 1,000 to 1,250 words, excluding the title page and references.

• Use a 12-point font, double spacing, and one-inch margins.

• Include three to five current scholarly or authoritative sources published between 2018 and 2026.

• APA 7th edition guidelines must be followed for citations and references.

• All cases must be de-identified, and academic integrity standards apply.

A middle-aged adult living with long-standing type 2 diabetes who is experiencing neuropathic pain, reduced exercise tolerance, and intermittent depressive symptoms occupies a mid-illness position on the health–illness continuum rather than an endpoint of wellness or severe morbidity. Recurrent emergency department visits for hyperglycaemia and difficulty affording medications indicate a trajectory that may worsen without targeted support. Comprehensive nursing assessment that extends beyond physiological markers to include health literacy, emotional wellbeing, and social context allows for realistic goal setting and connection to community resources that support greater stability and quality of life (American Diabetes Association, 2019).

Viewing chronic illness through the health–illness continuum highlights the importance of longitudinal nursing engagement rather than episodic care. Nurses who regularly reassess functional ability, symptom patterns, and psychosocial stressors are better positioned to identify early warning signs of deterioration and intervene before acute crises occur. Studies suggest that continuity of nursing support and shared goal setting improve self-management capacity and patient-reported wellbeing in individuals living with long-term conditions, particularly when care is coordinated across primary, acute, and community settings (Whittemore and Roy, 2018).

 Learning Resources

American Diabetes Association (2019). Improving care and promoting health in populations: Standards of medical care in diabetes. Diabetes Care, 42(Suppl 1), S7–S12.

Whittemore, R. and Roy, C. (2018). Adapting to chronic illness: A review of the Roy adaptation model. Nursing Science Quarterly, 31(4), 353–359.

World Health Organization (2022). World report on the social determinants of health. Geneva: WHO.

Kroenke, K. et al. (2019). Symptoms in primary care: Predictors of quality of life and health care use. Annals of Internal Medicine, 171(3), 168–177.

Hayes, A., Aranda, S. and Pesut, B. (2021). Person-centred care in chronic illness: An integrative review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(13–14), 1903–1918.

Bodenheimer, T., Wagner, E.H. and Grumbach, K. (2019). Improving primary care for patients with chronic illness. Journal of the American Medical Association, 288(14), 1775–1779.