Defining Health:
The World Health Organization defines health as "... a state of
complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity."
A clinician's job includes determining effective treatment regimes to
help patients live better & longer. Also, and perhaps growing in
importance, an added role is to give patients the "tools" to make
informed decisions to improve their own quality of life.
A Starting Point for Assessing Health
You don't
have to start from square one when treating your patients! Using health
surveys is one highly effective way you can gather additional
comprehensive data on your patients' health - quickly, accurately &
from their perspective.
Discover:
- What impacts your patient's daily life?
- How they feel - physically & emotionally?
- What can they do?
- What are their vulnerabilities & strengths?
Asking several questions about the many aspects of health will give
you a better picture of your patient's health.
These survey instruments ask several questions about physical
health, including how well your patient can perform basic
physical activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, & walking. It
also asks how well they can accomplish things that require extra energy
or effort.
Questions about mental or emotional health focus on
feelings of well-being. How happy are they? How interested in life are
they? Are they sad or tense?
The health surveys also ask questions about
function, what your patient can do. Do they have health
problems that limit them at work, school, or other daily activities? Do
they participate in social activities with friends & family?
Finally, to a large extent, your patient's health is what he/she says
it is. This can be a powerful tool to help you to help them.
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