Relevance to Nursing: Health Belief Model
Whether nurses are aware of it or not, this model is the motivational approach most frequently applied in health care settings. While not a formal part of this model, the concepts of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention have been used to describe health protection activities. According to De Chesnay and Anderson (2012), the Health Belief Model has been extensively useful as a framework for the identification of individuals who engage in behaviors relevant to primary and secondary prevention. Primary prevention is the specific protection against a disease to prevent its occurrence. Examples of nurses promoting primary prevention include mass immunizations to prevent disease, reductions in risk factors, and providing education to increase patient knowledge of air, water, and noise pollution so as to prevent chronic diseases. Secondary prevention is defined as organized, direct screening efforts or education of the public to promote early case findings of individuals with disease so that treatments can be implemented to halt pathologic process and limit disability. Examples of secondary education delivery by nursing would be the use of home kits for detection of occult blood in the stool and public education to promote health behaviors such as mammography and breast self-examination. Tertiary prevention is aimed at minimizing residual disability from disease and promoting a productive life, within the limitation of the residual effects. Examples of nursing practice for tertiary prevention would be cardiac rehabilitation and stroke rehabilitation
(De Chesnay and Anderson, 2012).
All levels of nursing engage in health education prevalent to these concepts thus the goal of nursing staff should be to work with the patient in a supportive manner to increase his or he level of confidence for goal of education to prevent disease. Education should be provided to ensure the patient understands the seriousness of disease states and its relation to his or her comorbidities.
(De Chesnay and Anderson, 2012).
All levels of nursing engage in health education prevalent to these concepts thus the goal of nursing staff should be to work with the patient in a supportive manner to increase his or he level of confidence for goal of education to prevent disease. Education should be provided to ensure the patient understands the seriousness of disease states and its relation to his or her comorbidities.