Fundamentals of Nursing

• Major Attributes of Human Being

  • Capacity to think or conceptualize on the abstract level
  • Family formation
  • Tendency to seek and maintain territory
  • Ability to use verbal symbols as language
• MAN as a Biologic, Psychologic, Social and Spiritual Being

  • Biologic: "man is like all other men." (same basic human needs)
  • Psychologic: "man is like no other man." (man is unique, irreplaceable, one-time being; rational but at times irrational)
  • Social: "man is like some other men." (have common attributes that make them different from other groups)
  • Spiritual: "man is like all other men." (all men are spiritual in nature)
• Open System


  Constant interaction with the environment
• Unified Whole


  Parts which are independent and interrelated with each other
• 14 Fundamental Needs (Virginia Henderson)


  • Breathe
  • Eat and drink
  • Eliminate
  • Move and maintain posture
  • Sleep and rest
  • Dress and undress
  • Maintain body temperature
  • Keep clean
  • Avoid danger
  • Communicate
  • Worship
  • Work
  • Play
  • Learn
• Basic Human Needs


  • Needs are universal
  • Needs may be met in different ways
  • Stimulated by external and internal factors
  • May be altered
  • May be deferred
  • Are interrelated
• Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs

  • Physiologic Needs: air, food, water, sleep, rest, elimination, pain avoidance
  • Safety and Security: feeling safe both in the physical environment and relationships
  • Love and Belongingness: giving/receiving affection, attaining a place in a group, feeling of belonging
  • Self-esteem: feeling of independence, competence, self-respect, recognition, appreciation from others
  • Self-actualization: the need to develop one's maximum potential and realize one;s abilities and qualities
• Components of Self-actualization


  • Judge people correctly
  • Clear of the notion of right and wrong
  • Realistic, sees life clearly and objectively
  • Self-confidence and self-respect
  • Open-minded
  • Creative, flexible, willing to make mistakes
• Health


  • Fundamental rights of every human being
  • State of integration of the body and mind
• Components of Health/Dimensions of Wellness

  • Social: ability to interact with people and environment
  • Mental: ability to learn
  • Emotional: ability to control emotions so that one feels comfortable expressing them
  • Spiritual: belief in unifying force
  • Physical: ability to perform daily tasks without undue fatigue
• Concept of Health and Illness

  • Health: state of complete, physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity
  • State of being that people define in relation to their own values, personality, and lifestyle
  • Health is not a condition, it is an adjustment. It is not a state, but a process
  • Ability to maintain internal milieu
  • Ability to maintain homeostasis
  • Homeostasis is being well and using one's power to the fullest extent
  • Health is viewed in terms of individuals ability to perform 12 components of nursing care unaided
  • Symbolizes wellness
  • A state and a process of being and becoming an integrated and whole person
• Components of Wellness and Well-being

  • State of well-being
  • Engaging in behaviors that enhance quality of life and maximize personal potential
  • Way of life
• Models of Health and Wellness

  • Smith's Model of Health: Clinical, Role Performance, Adaptive, Eudaimonistic
  • Leavell and Clark's Agent Host: Ecologic Model: Agent, Host, Environment
  • Becker's Health Belief Model: Health Belief, Relationship between belief and behavior, Individual Perceptions, Modifying Factors, Likelihood of Action
• Health and Wellness Continua

  • Dunn high-level wellness grid: interaction of the environment with well-being and illness
  • Travis illness-wellness continuum: ranges from high level wellness to premature death
• Precursor of Illness


  • Heredity: family history of DM, hypertension, cancer
  • Behavioral: smoking, alcohol abuse, poor sanitation, high fat intake
  • Environmental: overcrowding, poor sanitation, poor supply of potable water
• Illness


  Subjective; state in which a person feels unhealthy or ill
• Disease


  Alteration in body functions resulting in a reduction of capacities/shortening of the normal life span
• Illness Behavior


  • Internal: perception and nature of illness
  • External: visibility of symptoms, social group, cultural background, economics, and accessibility to health care
• Impact of Illness on Client

  • Behavioral and emotional changes
  • Loss of autonomy
  • Self-concept and body image changes
  • Lifestyle changes
  • Behavioral and emotional changes
  • Impact on family roles and dynamics
• Family Changes due to Illness

  • Role changes
  • Task reassignment
  • Increased demands on time
  • Anxiety about outcomes
  • Conflict about unaccustomed responsibilities
  • Financial problems
  • Loneliness as a result of separation and pending loss
  • Change in social customs
• Classifications of Disease


  • Etiologic: Hereditary, Congenital, Metabolic, Deficiency, Traumatic, Allergic, Neoplastic, Idiopathic, Degenerative, Iatrogenic
  • Duration or Onset: Acute, Chronic, Remission, Exacerbation, Subacute, Organic, Functional, Occupational, Familial, Venereal, Epidemic, Endemic, Pandemic, Sporadic
• Causes of Disease


  • Microorganism
  • Genetic defects
  • Developmental defects
  • Physical agents
  • Chemical agents
  • Tissue response to irritation
  • Faulty chemical/metabolic process
  • Emotional/physical reaction to stress
• Stages of Illness


  • Symptom Experience
  • Assumption of Sick Role
  • Medical Care Contact
  • Dependent Patient Role
  • Recovery/Rehabilitation
• Effects of Illness


  • Change in normal behavior
  • Privacy is affected
  • Frequently give up autonomy
  • Financial burden
  • Change in lifestyle
• Risk Factors


  • Genetic and physiological factors
  • Age
  • Environment
  • Lifestyle
• Morbidity rate


  Proportion of disease to health in a community
• Ecology


  Science of organisms as affected by factors in their environment
• Epidemiology


  Study of patterns of health and diseases, and occurrence for control and disease prevention
• Susceptibility


  Degree of resistance of the potential host against the pathogen
• Etiologic agent


  Possesses the potential for producing injury or disease
• Virulence


  Relative power or the degree of pathogenicity of the invading microorganism; ability to produce poisons that repel or destroy phagocytes
• Symptomatology


  Study of symptoms
• Symptom


  Disorder of appearance, sensation or function experienced by the patient indicative of a certain phase of disease
• Sign


  Objective symptom or objective evidence or physical manifestation made apparent by special methods of examination or use of senses
• Syndrome


  Set of symptoms, the sum of which constitutes a disease
• Pathology


  Branch of medicine; deals with the cause, nature, treatment and resultant structural and functional changes of disease
• Pathogenesis


  Method of origin and development of a disease
• Diagnosis


  Determining the nature of a disease, recognition of a diseased state
• Sequela


  Consequence that follows the normal course of an illness
• Complication


  Condition that occurs during or after the course of an illness