Program Overview

NRSG372 - Principles of Nursing: Chronic Illness and Disability

Year

2022

Credit Points

10

Campus Offering

No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.

Prerequisites

• NRSG267 Integrating Practice 4
• NRSG264 Integrating Practice 3

Unit Rationale, Description, and Aim

The Registered Nurse plays an important role in the multidisciplinary team in the provision of care for people with long-term chronic illness and disability. This unit is required by students to assist them in achieving knowledge and skills in relation to chronic illness, disability, and evidence-based practices to enable safe, effective, and culturally sensitive care, including educating clients and supporting them to manage themselves long-term.

Case studies, informed by the Australian National Health priorities, will enable students to explore common diseases and disabilities across the lifespan to support the provision of holistic evidence-based care. The role of the Registered Nurse in facilitating patient-centered care for persons with chronic illness and/or disability will be examined in relation to a variety of settings and patient journeys.

The aim of this unit is to assist students in critically analyzing the impact of chronic illness and/or disability on the person, family, and community.

Learning Outcomes

To successfully complete this unit, you will be able to demonstrate that you have achieved the learning outcomes detailed in the table below. Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination, and impact.

On successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Demonstrate advanced understanding of developmental, lifespan, social, spiritual, and cultural factors that impact on the quality of life of people experiencing chronic illness and/or disability and their families.
2. Critically apply the Roper-Logan-Tierney Model of Nursing across the lifespan, to the principles of caring for people experiencing chronic illness and/or disability and their families.
3. Use advanced pathophysiological knowledge to implement the Levett-Jones' Clinical Reasoning Cycle across a range of settings, to plan safe, evidence-based, culturally sensitive, person-centered care.
4. Critically apply quality use of medicines, non-pharmacological therapeutic interventions, complementary therapies, goal setting, and eHealth strategies in the chronic illness and disability context.
5. Apply legal and ethical principles related to the chronic illness and disability context.
6. Reflect on the lived experiences of the person with chronic illness and/or disability, their family, and community.

Graduate Attributes

• GA1: Demonstrate respect for the dignity of each individual and for human diversity
• GA2: Recognize their responsibility to the common good, the environment, and society
• GA3: Apply ethical perspectives in informed decision-making
• GA4: Think critically and reflectively
• GA5: Demonstrate values, knowledge, skills, and attitudes appropriate to the discipline and/or profession
• GA7: Work both autonomously and collaboratively
• GA8: Locate, organize, analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information
• GA9: Demonstrate effective communication in oral and written English language and visual media

NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Practice

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's Registered Nurse Standards for Practice developed in this unit are:

• Standard 1: Thinks critically and analyzes nursing practice
• Standard 2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships
• Standard 3: Maintains the capability for practice
• Standard 4: Comprehensively conducts assessments
• Standard 5: Develops a plan for nursing practice
• Standard 6: Provides safe, appropriate, and responsive quality nursing practice
• Standard 7: Evaluates outcomes to inform nursing practice

Content

Topics will include:

• Principles of chronic illness and disability
• Global overview of chronic illness and disability
• Chronic illness and disability in an Australian context
• Differentiation of key terms: Chronic illness, Chronic disease, long-term conditions, disability, and co-morbidity
• Trajectory of illness: Range of settings and continuum of care
• Impact of chronic illness and/or disability for person, family, and community
• Physical
• Psychosocial
• Cultural
• Spiritual
• Lifespan

Learning and Teaching Strategy and Rationale

Modes of delivery in this unit include lectures, seminars, tutorials, laboratories, simulations, online activities, and self-directed study. Consistent with adult learning principles, the teaching and learning strategies used within these modes of delivery will provide students with foundational knowledge and skills relevant to professional nursing practice.

Assessment Strategy and Rationale

A range of assessment items consistent with University assessment requirements and policy will be used to ensure students achieve the unit learning outcomes and attain the graduate attributes.

Overview of Assessments

• Written Assignment: Enables students to articulate their knowledge and understanding of the management of patients with chronic illness and disability. (50%)
• Health Education/Promotion Resource: Enables students to showcase sound communication skills and understanding of the key issues for patients with chronic illness and disability. (50%)

Representative Texts and References

• Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. (2014). Australian Health 2014.
• Chang, E., & Johnson, A. (2014). Chronic illness and disability. Principles for nursing practice (2nd ed.). London, U.K.: Elsevier.
• Haley, C. (Ed.). (2015). Pillitteri's child and family health nursing in Australia and New Zealand (2nd ed.). North Ryde, N.S.W.: Wolters Kluwer.
• Holland, K., Jenkins, J., Solomon, J., & Whittam, S. (2008). Applying the Roper-Logan-Tierney Model in Practice. London: Churchill Livingston.
• Larsen, P. D., & Lubkin, I. M. (2016). Chronic illness: Impact and intervention (9th ed.). Sudbury, Massachusetts: Jones and Bartlett.
• Levett-Jones, T. (2013). Clinical Reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse. Frenchs Forest, N.S.W.: Pearson.
• World Health Organization. (2015). Non-communicable diseases.