| Course | NUR 392 Health Promotion Across the Life Span |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Discussion post with peer reply |
| Length | About 502 words |
| Format | Discussion post with APA 7 citations |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 392 Module 2
Discussion Board: Technology and Nursing
About 1,800 More Steps a Day: What Wearable Activity Trackers Can Offer Health Promotion, and Where Nurses Fit
Initial Post
In Module 1, after scoring low on the physical activity measure of the American Heart Association's Life's Essential 8 (Lloyd-Jones et al., 2022), I set a goal to walk before sleeping after night shifts and started tracking it with the step counter on my phone. That made me curious about whether trackers actually help people change behavior or only measure what they already do.
The best summary I found is an umbrella review that combined 39 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of activity tracker interventions, covering 163,992 participants across all age groups and both healthy and clinical populations (Ferguson et al., 2022). The pooled findings suggest that trackers increased physical activity by roughly 1,800 steps a day, or about 40 more minutes of walking per day, improved fitness, and were associated with weight loss of about one kilogram. Effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, hemoglobin A1c, quality of life and pain were mostly small and often not significant. In other words, trackers seem to change activity, but the downstream health benefits are less certain over the time frames studied.
Our reading on health models helped me understand why (Friberg & Saewert, 2023). A tracker supports several things behavior change theories emphasize: it makes the behavior visible, gives immediate feedback, and lets a person set and check goals. It does not by itself address barriers such as fatigue, unsafe neighborhoods or lack of time. For me, the tracker shows that I walk less on work weeks; it does not make night shift less tiring.
Nurses can help patients use trackers in a way that matches the evidence. First, nurses can help patients set a specific goal, such as adding 1,000 steps a day, rather than handing them a device with no plan. Second, nurses can ask patients to bring their data to visits, which turns the numbers into a conversation about barriers. Third, nurses should be honest about limits: a tracker is a tool for activity, not a treatment for high blood pressure. Finally, cost and access matter. Phone-based step counters are free for many people, but older adults and patients with limited data plans may need a simple pedometer instead.
Technology can widen gaps in health if only some patients can use it. Asking about access before recommending a device is part of promoting health fairly.
Reply to a Classmate
Tasha, your post on patient portals was useful because portals are something every nurse is asked about. You noted that many older patients never activate their accounts. I wonder whether the same approach used with trackers would work: instead of telling patients the portal exists, a nurse could sit with them for two minutes before discharge, help them log in, and show them one feature they will actually use, such as their medication list. Have you seen anyone at your hospital try that, and did it change how often patients used the portal afterward?
References
Ferguson, T., Olds, T., Curtis, R., Blake, H., Crozier, A. J., Dankiw, K., Dumuid, D., Kasai, D., O'Connor, E., Virgara, R., & Maher, C. (2022). Effectiveness of wearable activity trackers to increase physical activity and improve health: A systematic review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The Lancet Digital Health, 4(8), e615-e626. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2589-7500(22)00111-X
Friberg, E. E., & Saewert, K. J. (Eds.). (2023). Conceptual foundations: The bridge to professional nursing practice (8th ed.). Elsevier.
Lloyd-Jones, D. M., Allen, N. B., Anderson, C. A. M., Black, T., Brewer, L. C., Foraker, R. E., Grandner, M. A., Lavretsky, H., Perak, A. M., Sharma, G., & Rosamond, W. (2022). Life's Essential 8: Updating and enhancing the American Heart Association's construct of cardiovascular health: A presidential advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 146(5), e18-e43. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001078
Reading the NUR 392 Module 2 assignment instructions
The posted syllabus gives Module 2 four topics, wellness, genetics and genomics, health models, and technology and nursing, and its graded activities include a genetics profile, a wellness quiz, the first part of the We Are Family activity, and this Technology and Nursing discussion board. Discussion boards together count for 20% of the course grade across three boards. The prompt generally asks you to choose a technology used in health promotion or nursing practice, describe its benefits and limits with support from the literature, and explain the nurse's role, then reply to classmates. Canvas sets the word count, the number of scholarly sources and the reply requirements. Many instructors want the technology tied to one of the health models covered in the same module.
How the NUR 392 Module 2 example is put together
The sample begins by linking the board to the writer's goal from Module 1, which gives the post a personal reason to exist. A paragraph then summarizes one strong source, an umbrella review, with its numbers and its limits stated plainly. The next paragraph connects the device to ideas from the module's health models reading without reciting a model's parts. Four practical ways nurses can help patients use trackers follow, each tied to the evidence. A short paragraph on access and equity rounds out the post; in the reply, a classmate is asked a specific question about patient portals that builds on her own observation. The post stays near the word range a discussion board allows, so every paragraph has to earn its place.
Reading the NUR 392 Module 2 grading rubric
Points on technology boards usually depend on a clear description of the technology, a balanced account of benefits and drawbacks supported by scholarly evidence, an explanation of the nurse's role, and a substantive reply. Graders reward posts that use numbers from a study correctly and do not overstate what the evidence shows. Cite each study where you use it and list it under the post in APA style. Because the course weights discussions together at 20%, each board matters more than its length suggests. Late initial posts or one-line replies tend to cost the most points. Instructors also note whether the technology discussed is actually used in health promotion rather than only in acute care documentation.
NUR 392 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
The common weakness on this board is a post that reads like a product description, with benefits listed and no evidence. Another is overstating results, for example claiming trackers lower blood pressure when the pooled effect was small and uncertain. Choose one technology and go deep rather than surveying several. Mention equity or access, since health promotion includes reaching people who cannot afford new devices. Make the reply a question or a contrast, not agreement. If you want a draft built around a technology from your own workplace, send the prompt to the desk. Finally, read your classmates' posts before replying so your question does not repeat one already asked.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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- NUR 392 Module 3: Health Promotion Plan for Me
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- NUR 392 Module 5: We Are Family Meeting Presentation
- NUR 392 Module 6: Critique of Nursing Practice
- NUR 392 Module 7: Reflections on Health and Holistic Practice
- NUR 445 Module 6: Public Policy Group Discussion
- NUR 464 Module 3: Professional Philosophy and Career Alignment
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- NUR 440 Module 3: Community Health Education Project Part 1
NUR 392 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 392 Module 2 sample paper?
Everything is above: an initial post on wearable activity trackers in health promotion with numbers from an umbrella review, a reply about patient portals, and references.
What technology should I choose for the NUR 392 discussion?
Choose something used in health promotion or nursing that you can find research on, such as activity trackers, telehealth, patient portals, remote monitoring or health apps.
Do wearable activity trackers improve health?
An umbrella review found they increase physical activity by roughly 1,800 steps a day and modestly improve fitness and weight, but effects on blood pressure and cholesterol were small and often not significant.
What is the nurse's role with health technology in NUR 392?
Nurses help patients set goals, interpret data, overcome barriers and use technology safely, and they consider whether every patient has access.
How many sources does the NUR 392 technology discussion need?
Check Canvas. Plan on one peer-reviewed article besides the course text, cited in APA style, unless Canvas says more.