Importance Of Physical Assessment

Physical assessments and vital signs go hand in hand when pertaining to a patient’s care due to the circumstance that they work hand in hand to create an indication of the patient’s physiological state and show healthcare providers the protocols necessary to assess the patient. Vital signs are known as the regular components and the foundation of a patient’s physical assessment (Joseph J. et al., 2006). They are both necessary to obtain for the patient and the provider. As people age, they tend to require more assessments that are necessary to remain benign (Y. Guigoz, B. Vellas, P. Garry, 1996) so, the addition of a nutritional assessment to an elder’s nursing intervention (taken by proficient healthcare providers) should be a resolution

According to the Foundations of Nursing Practice (2001), you should collect information about the patient’s aspects of their health (physiological, psychological, sociocultural and spiritual) to gain a nurse-client relationship and to establish actual and potential problems. The information gathered is important because it is able to provide somewhat of a description of the patient as well as focusing on their immediate and future needs (Keenan, Yakel, Tschannen & Mandeville, 2008). This would safely develop a deeper understanding and can work toward making the patient relieved of their troubles and or prevent other issues from surfacing. Along with the patient, physical assessments are also important for the provider as a guidance tool when it comes to their practice. A successful assessment deems the health care provider accountable and responsible for the patient’s conclusion. Overall, the physical assessment aids in providing satisfactory work for both the patient and the professional (Royal College of Nursing,

These sings include temperature, pulse, respirations, blood pressure and pain. These factors must be checked, recorded, and assessed consistently to ensure the patient’s safety. What makes vital signs so “vital” is because it universally communicates to the provider what the patient’s condition may be. It would help them identify nursing diagnoses, assess interventions, and make decisions concerning the response of patients to treatment (C. Teixeira et al., 2015). Vital signs are objective and are distinct for each person. Therefore, the provider should be able to record accurate vital signs to help pinpoint causes of certain signs and symptoms along with identifying problems with the cardiac, pulmonary, renal, and autonomic nervous systems (Elma I, 2011). Understanding a person’s vital signs is a life or death situation because, with certain signs, a provider would be able to take certain actions to help the patient. If vital signs aren’t taken, significant information is lost. The recordings of an elderly patient’s vital signs are often “relied on by a nurse’s clinical judgement or time availability rather than on policy-mandated frequency (Cardona-Morell et al.,