Person-centred chronic illness care assignment

NRSG372 Assignment Brief

Answer-first summary: NRSG372 requires a student to interview a real person living with chronic illness or disability, identify two care priorities, and develop one SMART goal plus one health education plan for each priority. The paper should use person-centred nursing reasoning, relevant pathophysiology, and a selected health behaviour theory to justify the priorities and the teaching plan. The strongest response ties the interview findings directly to evidence on chronic disease self-management, person-centred care, and behaviour change support.

Assessment context

This assessment fits a nursing course structure that expects applied clinical reasoning, not generic description. The student should show that the interviewee’s lived experience shaped the chosen priorities, then support each decision with nursing literature and a clear theory of behaviour change such as COM-B or another approved framework. Evidence on person-centred care and self-management supports this design because it links care planning to autonomy, functional ability, and practical goal setting.

Assignment task

Conduct a face-to-face, phone, or video interview with a real person in your community who lives with a chronic illness or disability. Use the interview to identify the impact of the condition on daily life, then select two care priorities in collaboration with the person. For each priority, discuss one SMART goal and one education plan that helps the person move toward that goal. Support every section with relevant nursing literature, including the condition’s pathophysiology, the rationale for the priorities, and a health behaviour theory.

• Use a real interviewee and keep the account person-centred.
• Identify two priorities only, and justify them clearly.
• Write one SMART goal for each priority.
• Write one education plan for each SMART goal.
• Integrate theory, pathophysiology, and current nursing evidence throughout.

Marking criteria

• Quality of interview preparation and relevance of questions.
• Depth of analysis of the chronic illness or disability experience.
• Accuracy and relevance of the two care priorities.
• Strength and specificity of the SMART goals.
• Fit between the health education plan and the selected goal.
• Use of health behaviour theory and nursing literature.
• Clarity, academic tone, structure, and referencing.

Person-centred chronic illness care works best when the plan reflects what the person can realistically do in daily life, not what the nurse prefers in theory. Current literature shows that self-care support, education, and tailored goal setting can improve quality of life, self-efficacy, and patient engagement, while person-centred models strengthen autonomy and the quality of interaction with health professionals. A strong assignment should therefore connect the interview narrative to a measurable care target, then show how education and behaviour support make that target achievable.

Sample student response

The interviewee described fatigue, reduced mobility, and difficulty keeping up with medication routines. These concerns suggest that symptom control and self-management need equal attention, because chronic illness affects both physical function and daily decision-making. A suitable first priority is improving medication adherence through a simple routine, reminder system, and written medication schedule. A second priority is supporting safer mobility through paced walking, rest planning, and clear advice on when to stop activity. This approach reflects person-centred care because it starts with the person’s own goals and limitations rather than a standardised checklist.

SMART goal setting makes the plan more practical. For example, the person may agree to take prescribed medicines at the same time every day for the next two weeks and record each dose on a checklist. Another goal may require the person to walk for five minutes twice daily for one week, then review tolerance and symptoms with the nurse or family support person. Evidence on behaviour change support shows that goals work best when they match capability, opportunity, and motivation, because people are more likely to sustain actions they can actually fit into daily life.

Education should focus on one or two clear messages per priority. The medication plan may include the purpose of each medicine, possible side effects, and what to do if a dose is missed; the mobility plan may include energy conservation, symptom monitoring, and simple pacing strategies. Research on self-management interventions shows that education is more effective when it is tailored, repeated, and linked to the person’s own routine rather than delivered as a one-time instruction.

Why this matters in practice

Chronic illness care depends on whether the person can carry the plan into real life. A care plan that ignores fatigue, transport, cost, family support, or disability-related barriers may look neat on paper but fail in practice. The stronger nursing response is to design a plan that is specific, usable, and reviewed with the person over time.

FAQ: NRSG372 interview paper

How many care priorities should the paper include?

The brief requires two care priorities. Each priority should be justified from the interview data and linked to one SMART goal and one education plan.

Which theory suits this assignment?

A health behaviour theory that explains self-management and action support works best. COM-B is a strong option because it links behaviour to capability, opportunity, and motivation, which fits chronic illness education well.

What should the education plan cover?

The education plan should match the chosen priority and goal. It should explain what the person needs to learn, how the teaching will happen, and how progress will be checked.

Why use a real interview?

The interview gives the assignment its person-centred focus. It helps the student identify the actual barriers, priorities, and strengths of the person rather than relying on assumptions.

References

• Cano, F., Alves, E., João, A., Oliveira, H., Guedes Pinho, L. and Fonseca, C. (2023) ‘A rapid literature review on the health-related outcomes of long-term person-centered care models in adults with chronic illness’, Frontiers in Public Health, 11, 1213816. Available at: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1213816
• Henriques, M.A. and de Sousa Loura, D. (2023) ‘Concepts and Theories in Behaviour Change to Support Chronic Disease Self-Management’, in Behaviour Change Support. Available via NCBI Bookshelf.
• Iheduru, K. (2024) ‘Nursing Interventions in Chronic Disease Management: Strategies for Improved Patient Outcomes’, Advances in Practice Nursing, 9(3), 380. Available at: https://10.37421/2573-0347.2024.9.380
• Button, K., Morgan, F., Weightman, A.L. and Jones, S. (2019) ‘Musculoskeletal care pathways for adults with hip and knee pain referred for specialist opinion: a systematic review’, BMJ Open, 9(9), e027874. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2018-027874
• Younas, F. and Morrison Gutman, L. (2023) ‘Parental Risk and Protective Factors in Child Maltreatment: A Systematic Review of the Evidence’, Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 24(5), 3697–3714. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380221134634

Write a 1,050-word NRSG372 paper based on a real interview with a person living with chronic illness or disability. Identify two care priorities, develop one SMART goal and one education plan for each, and support the discussion with nursing literature and a health behaviour theory.

Week 3 discussion post: Discuss the value of person-centred assessment in chronic illness care. In 300 to 500 words, describe one barrier a patient may face in self-management, explain how a nursing theory or behaviour model can help, and reply to at least one peer with a practical suggestion. Use current nursing literature and keep the post connected to real patient experience.