A patient diagnosed with a terminal illness asks why the disease developed when others who have less healthy lifestyle habits enjoy good health. Which theory of disease causation should the nurse use when responding to this patient's enquiry?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

4. The discovery of specific agents responsible for particular diseases did not explain why some people exposed to an agent developed the disease, while others did not. The result of this explanatory failure was the movement into the current era of multiple causation or the ecosocial perspective. The era of multiple causation is characterized by the recognition that multiple factors interact in the development of health or illness in a given person or population and that there is seldom one single cause. During Hippocrates' time, the primary belief of disease was from harmful substances in the environment. During the religious era disease was thought to be caused directly or indirectly by divine intervention, possibly as punishment for sins or as a trial of faith. During the bacteriologic era specific organisms were identified as causative agents for specific diseases.

A Patient Diagnosed with a Terminal Illness Asks Why the Disease