Finding Meaning in Chronic Illness, Research Paper Example

Introduction

The development of a chronic illness requires patients to adapt effectively and to be able to manage its symptoms without significant disruptions to daily living. Adapting to an illness also requires patients to find meaning in their lives that will enable them to overcome the disease and to learn how to overcome challenges on a continuous basis. One area where adaptation is necessary is in the context of patient care quality, particularly when there are significant issues to consider relative to the illness and how its daily symptoms affect patients. There must be a greater balance achieved by patients in order to ensure that they are prepared to manage chronic diseases and are able to adapt to problems that may arise without significant changes to their lives. Therefore, adaptation is an integral component of this process and supports a patient’s ability to recognize the nature of the disease and how to overcome its obstacles in different ways.

Analysis

The ability to adapt to a chronic illness requires a positive frame of mind and an understanding of any cultural barriers that may influence the disease response (Lubkin & Larsen, 2013). This requires patients to be mindful of their limitations and to also recognize that quality of care must be aligned with the key principles in treating a disease under the best possible conditions (Lubkin & Larsen, 2013). Adapting to an illness also requires an understanding of the nature of the disease, how it impacts organs and systems, and how it is best treated by members of the medical community in order to minimize risks to quality of life (Lubkin & Larsen, 2013). As a result, it is important to address these issues in the context of patient care and to determine the best possible approaches to manage the disease that require patients to adapt effectively. Patients must be educated regarding the symptoms that they might experience so that they are prepared to adjust as needed throughout their daily lives in order to prevent further complications and other issues.

The stories presented in the book Strong at the Broken Places: Voices of Illness, A Chorus of Hope represent a means of understanding the vast challenges of chronic disease and its far-reaching impact on patients with respect to their health & wellbeing (Cohen, 2008). From this perspective, each character is on his or her own journey to greater self-discovery and self-awareness regarding their respective illnesses, each recognizing the different obstacles that they face that have an impact on their overall health (Cohen, 2008). In addition, each patient must find it within him or herself to effectively adapt to a variety of conditions, including but not limited to physical disabilities and depression that are a direct result of the disease state (Cohen, 2008).        For example, Denise, the patient with ALS, adapts to her situation by exercising her anger and frustration with the disease and how it limits her life, and this serves as a valuable learning curve in enhancing the care and delivery of treatment associated with chronic disease (Cohen, 2008).

For patients with chronic disease, a mechanism of adaptation to better understand the nature of the disease is essential to their wellbeing. There must be a greater emphasis on the development of strategies to improve coping skills related to chronic disease and to refuse to become complacent in treating the disease and its symptoms (Moos, 2012). There must be a greater emphasis on the creation of new ideas and opportunities to engage patients so that they will better understand chronic diseases and the overall development of new perspectives to improve their health, while also recognizing the limitations of a given chronic disease and what is required to manage health more effectively (Moos, 2012). It is also imperative to use prior evidence in the context of coping with a chronic disease because lessons learned through past research projects may play a role in shaping the patient environment and coping mechanisms more effectively (Stanton & Revenson, 2011). There must be a greater emphasis on the development of new methods of understanding chronic diseases and what steps are required to overcome the challenges that patients face in this regard (Stanton & Revenson, 2011). Most importantly, patients must gain a sense of comfort and acceptance of a disease as part of their adaptation mechanism, as this will encourage them to better understanding the nature of chronic disease and how it influences the life span (Stanton & Revenson, 2011).

From a nursing perspective, an increased level of empathy and support for patients will enable them to cope with chronic diseases more effectively. At the same time, communication regarding the disease between nurse and patient may demonstrate a high level of compassion and support from the nurse, and this is likely to enable patients to fully engage in managing a given disease and to overcome anger and resentment regarding the disease in a positive manner. These characteristics will demonstrate nurses’ compassion for patients with chronic diseases and provide them with much-needed support as they work towards managing a given disease in an effective manner.

Conclusion

Patients with chronic diseases face a wide variety of risks that impact their health in different ways; therefore, it is necessary to develop these strategies and to be mindful of the issues that enable patients to adapt to these diseases in an effective manner. This is an ongoing process, one that supports the continued development of nursing-based skills to promote positive communication with patients, accompanied by increasingly relevant adaptation skills that will engage them in managing a given disease with the best possible tools and resources in place to make a difference.

References

Cohen, R.M. (2008). Strong at the Bones: Voices of Illness, a Chorus of Hope. Harper.

Lubkin, I.M., & Larsen, P.D. (2013). Chronic Illness: Impact and Intervention. Burlington: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Moos, R. H. (2012). Coping with physical illness. Springer Science & Business Media.

Stanton, A., & Revenson, T. A. (2011). Adjustment to chronic disease: Progress and promise in research. The Oxford handbook of health psychology, 244-272.