Health promotion is defined by Edelman as the “Intervention designed to improve health, such as providing adequate nutrition, a healthy environment, and ongoing health education”. Health promotion programs create behavioral changes that can lead to healthy behaviors by creating a positive and pleasant atmosphere (Camann). They also lower the overall healthcare costs by preventing the incidence of diseases, hospital stays as well as complications (Potter). Currently 20% of the population suffers from a chronic or acute illness, these people account for 80% of our health care costs (Potter). With an added emphasis on early health promotion at the primary care level we can lower these rates to less than 20%. With health promotion at the tertiary and secondary level we can then lower the 80% level with the health care costs so they can be dispersed throughout the different types of health care costs.
Health promotion is found within all levels of health care. These levels are known as tertiary care which is care that is usually given in a hospital or rehabilitation center to give care to patients whom are suffering from permanent disabilities or illnesses to bring them to the most optimal level of health. Secondary care is care that is given by a specialist or hospital such as emergency room care, radiological procedures, and med surge hospital care. Primary care is that given by ones primary care physician to prevent illness or treat a problem such as exercise programs, family planning, nutritional counseling and prenatal care (Potter).
The purpose of health promotion in the nursing practice is all the same throughout the different levels of health care. It is all to improve the patients’ health and wellbeing for both current problems as well as potential problems. Nurses are at the forefront for health promotion at the secondary level. They are there to see