Self-assessment of knowledge and skills in health assessment In this short paper I will explore the importance of taking a thorough health history and completing an accurate physical examination. I will also self-assess my current practice and identify areas for improvement. Last I will identify resources for continuing education to build on current knowledge and advance in my profession.
The importance of health history taking knowledge and skills in nursing practice The ability to have a clear, concise conversation with patients and gather a through subjective health history is an extremely valuable asset in healthcare and as a nurse. Jarvis (2012) the health history is a screening tool for abnormal symptoms, health problems, and concerns
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A professional nurse needs to be able to confidently and accurately complete a head to toe physical assessment within the constraints of their day. Birks et al. (2013) points out that nurses tend to limit assessments due to time, perceived need, and unclear boundaries (Barriers to conducting a physical assessment). Nurses need to recognize positive assessment finding, have the ability to complete more detailed physical assessment when needed, and be able to communicate their findings to the healthcare team. Physical assessment findings guide treatment. Missing signs or symptoms may lead to delay in treatment or poor …show more content…
Independently seeking further education is always an option such as seeking out the next degree level, certifications, or attending conferences. With my current employer there are many ways staff are given the opportunity to learn and grow such as computer based education, classroom education, competency testing, and through peer to peer interaction. All resources in which can be used to improve knowledge and skill. Other resources such as our Nurse Educators, Rapid response nurses, and our physicians are great about assisting in the learning process and providing
First of all, this case is associated with biopsychosocial approach which recognizes that, it is the approach that considers human behavior to be the result of interactions of integrated biological, psychological, and social systems. This approach helps us to recognize the ways in which women’s biology, psychology, and their social world intertwine within each other affect their reactions to alcohol and alcohol interventions. In order to explain some of the concepts and theories, we must first sort through the facts that have been presented in the case study. This particular case is concerned with developing a better understanding of the relationship between Casey, and alcoholism.
As a nurse we are responsible for the safety and overall health promotion of our patients. Competency in the nursing field is what ensures patient safety and decreased hospital acquired injury. Continued competence ensures that the nurse is able to perform efficiently and safely in a constantly changing environment. Nurses must continuously evaluate their level of skill and find where improvement needs to be made in order to keep up to date with the expected skill level set by their
Medical records are the most basic of clinical tools (Pullen and Loudon 2006) and their main importance is to serve as a form of memoir or aid in client and patient support. Medical records therefore provides essential evidence of care provision, thereby enabling effective communication between health care professionals, members of the multidisciplinary team and all clinicians as a whole.
Health visitors are registered nurses who undergo extra training to work in the community with families and children under five. The main principles of health visiting are to ensure that children have a healthy and positive start to life by recognising health needs, encouraging health enhancing activities and influencing health policies (Craig and Lindsay, 2000). Health visitors provide the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) which allows all families access to services ranging from immunisations through to safeguarding. Although health visitors play a key part in the healthcare of families and children they also work closely with other health professionals in order to help families achieve optimum health. This essay will describe the health visiting role in more depth as well as discuss why immunisations are a key role in the health promotion undertaken by a health visitor.
Parse, R. R., Bournes, D. A., Barrett, E. A. M., Malinski, V. M., & Phillips, J. R. (1999). A better way: 10 things health professionals can do to move toward a more personal and meaningful system. On Call, 2 (8), 14-17.
“Conducting a Biopsychosocial Assessment” by Kathleen McInnis-Dittrich is another interesting reading that I definitely enjoyed. It’s very interesting to know that there is an assessment that actually can tell professionals what are the strengths and challenges of an older person. Older people can be evaluated with the biopsychosocial assessment and how support or rehabilitative services can help older adults to maintain independent and satisfying lifestyles could be identify (McInnis-Dittritch, 2014).
Healthy People are a nationwide program set by the United States Department of Health and Human Services with the objectives to promote health and prevent disease. The Healthy People program was first initiated in 1979, followed by Healthy People 1990, 2000 and 2010 with the same goals and objectives to promote health and prevent diseases. Due to the accomplishments that has been achieved in the previous years under this program, the Healthy People 2020 expanded or rather broadened their goals and objectives beyond disease prevention, health promotion and reducing health disparities, but to also eliminate healthcare disparities that has plagued this nation by the year 2020. The governing body, the United States Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for coordinating this program; track the progress of these objectives so as to improve the health of the population. Among the various goals set by this body, only three will be discussed in this paper to gain more insight as to what it entails. These include health equity to improve the health of all groups; social and physical environments that promote good health; and to promote quality of life, healthy development and healthy behavior across life stages.
Lily was a 65 year old lady with stage 5 CKD, she had recently begun hemodialysis treatment three times a week as an inpatient and had been responding well to treatment. During dialysis treatment on the morning of the first day, Lily’s observations showed that she was: tachycardic, hypotensive, tachypnoeaic, had an oxygen saturation level of 88% and was becoming confused and drowsy. It became apparent that Lily had become hypovolaemic. The hypovolaemic shock seen in this patient was of a particular critical nature due to the fact that her dialysis treatment had moved her rapidly through the first two stages of shock with her compensatory mechanisms failing very quickly (Tait, 2012). It was also much harder to identify the early signs of hypovolaemic shock, as some of the signs and symptoms could have been attributed to her kidney failure (Macintosh and Moore, 2011; Murphy and Byrne, 2009).
Assessment instruments are a critical component in psychological testing. Clinicians use psychological assessments as a process of testing individuals to generate a hypothesis about their behavior, personality, or capabilities. There are four primary types of psychological assessments including, clinical interviews, assessment of intellectual functioning, personality assessment, and behavioral assessments. In addition, other types of psychological testing can include, achievement, aptitude, neuropsychological, occupational, and specific clinical test that can measure current levels of depression or anxiety. For example, the assessment instrument called the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), measures characteristic attitudes
Simpson, C. (2007) ‘Mental Health part3: Assessment and Treatment of Depression’ British Journal of Healthcare assistants. pp 167-171.
On admission to a healthcare facility, a health assessment is a mandatory tool in assessing the patient’s health status. In general an assessment is broken down in a two types of reviews, by conducting a health history which includes the collection of subjective data (information elicited by the patient or patients family members) and a physical examination of the patient which includes the gathering of evidence based data (Wilson & Giddens, 2009). Collecting and documenting accurate information is imperative in providing the allied health team this information to facilitate an efficient and well-formed care plan, as well establishing a baseline for subsequent assessments (Springhouse, 2004; Wilson & Giddens, 2009).
Reflecting back on the all the information learned this semester, I am amazed at how much I learned. Working in healthcare makes you aware of a lot of the topics that were covered, however, when you apply it to yourself, in a personal relationship, it becomes much more powerful what the impact of each topic is.
The profession of nursing is always regarded as complex, dynamic and noble. The nursing profession requires many things such as hard work, vast knowledge, excellent communication skills, and a passion for the noble profession. All these qualities are needed to be an effective nurse. Today, nurses are living in a world of ever changing field of medicine. The present patient statistics pose, nurses are expected to take responsibility of accomplishing the requirements.
Family is the basic unit of society. A family is a set of interacting individuals related by blood, marriage, cohabitation, or adoption who interdependently perform relevant functions by fulfilling expected roles. Health practices are those activities performed by individuals or families as a whole to promote health and prevent diseases. The relationship between members of family influences the understanding of behavior, which is demonstrated in family’s structural, functional, communicational, and developmental patterns (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2003; Bonell et al., 2003).Within families, children and adults are nurtured and taught about health values by word and by example, and it is within families that members first learn to make choices to promote health (Edelman & Mandle, 2010, p. 172).
Good physical health in both children and youth is important for their all round well-being and is a big factor for their later stages of life, as it sets up boundaries and is the creates building blocks for future health, also very important for their development. Physical health is impacted significantly by other aspects of well-being, such as social, mental and emotional wellbeing. So to ensure a good maintained physical health, one has to also maintain a strong state of well-being in generally all aspects. Physical health can easily be manipulated by numerous factors, such as growing up, going through puberty, behavioural changes and sense of influences. As a child physical health is important, as it is a time to develop healthy habits, building healthy bones and muscles. But as one grows up, their behaviour shifts from the actions from their parents to the pressure of those around them, such as peer pressure. Video games become interesting, technology is included into their life and the time of playing outside is now a distant memory. On top of their behavioural shifts, the onset and presence of puberty largely influences the actions taken, creating a new set of health risks and activities that are life threatening are now becoming exciting and the chances of injury, especially in young men is sky rocketing due to the presence of adolescence and peer pressure. And by teenage years sexually contracted diseases are now increasing as sexual interactions are becoming fascinating. Due to aging and puberty, influences on physical health and the attention of importance towards the matter are decreased; physical health isn’t to the extent that is expected. Physical health is impacted upon very easily, and is done so without much noti...