The Health Metaparadigm in Nursing: A Narrative Review

Health is the primary goal in healthcare professions and particularly in nursing. Today, health is more than just the absence of disease, and this concept is especially emphasized in nursing compared to other professions. This study aimed to review the metaparadigm of health and the necessity of its consideration in nursing.

The present narrative review was conducted using Persian and English keywords across information sources such as Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, SID, Magiran, and the Google Scholar search engine without any time restrictions up to the beginning of March 2024. To maximize the scope of the study, the search was performed using the operators AND and OR. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 articles and 10 books were ultimately reviewed.

The review indicated that the concept of health, from the perspectives of the Quran and other views, encompasses various dimensions including physical, mental, intellectual, social, and emotional aspects, and has different definitions from various theorists. Given the broad range of definitions related to health, the determinants of health are also vast and diverse, with each component directly affecting the dimensions of health.

Health has been a concern for humanity since ancient times. Understanding the metaparadigm of health in nursing enables the delivery of high-quality and effective healthcare to individuals, promoting a healthier life. This requires the attention of policymakers and national planners to develop health promotion programs in Iran.