The Neurological Assessment of the Infant - Essay Example

"The Neurological Assessment of the Infant" is an engrossing example of a paper on neurology. The physical assessment of children is essential as it is the basis upon which other problems facing the child can be identified. Neurological problems in children can be identified during the physical examination of infants. The identification of such problems necessitates the undertaking of a neurological examination in seeking to administer an effective intervention towards the treatment of the neurological problem (Menkes, Sarnat, & Maria, 2006). Neurological assessment among infants must be undertaken accurately in seeking to ensure the applied intervention becomes effective in the treatment of the problem. There are numerous milestones that must be achieved during the neurologic examination of an infant in seeking to ensure the effectiveness of the medication.

Historical information

The historical information becomes one of the fundamental milestones which must be achieved during the neurological examination. This becomes essential as it enables the pediatrician to understand the onset of the observed symptoms in chronological order, in seeking to identify the cause of the problems observed. The birth history, for example, can provide essential information regarding medication which the mother might be consuming, some of these medication and other substances like alcohol and cigarettes could have a detrimental effect on the neurological development of the child (Heilbroner & Castaneda, 2007). The historical information can also be utilized in understanding other aspects of the infant which might result in the worsening of the neurological condition.

PHMX

This is an important aspect which seeks to provide the medical history of the patient, which should be helpful in determining the best intervention for the neurologic problem. The past medical history which is essential to the neurological assessment includes the immunization status and medication problems that might have been identified in the patient. Lack of immunization for some diseases like polio can result in neurologic problems being identified in a pediatric patient. Medial problems become essential in establishing the approach which will be utilized in administering proper medical intervention. The occurrence of accidents in the past is also critical in seeking to understand some of the neurologic problems which might be caused by physical injuries.

Medications

This is a fundamental milestone because it enables the pediatrician to understand some medicinal effects that might have adverse effects on the patient. These commonly refer to the medications which the patient might have consumed which might have neurological effects. This becomes essential in assessing the effects of medication upon the patient. This enables the assessment of the patient’s capability to respond to the application of different intravenous medicine aimed at mitigating the adverse effects of the medication

Development

This is the most critical element of the entire process of assessing neurologic capabilities of pediatric patients. Developmental milestones present an effective way of understanding the presence of neurologic problems within an infant (Hadders-Algra, 2004). The motor system of the child must be assessed in seeking to eliminate the causes of different problems related to neurologic complications. Developmental milestones involve the following attributes.

Posture and muscle tone – this involves the assessment of various postures in seeking to establish the functionality of the body muscles of the infant. Assessment of these aspects seeks to ascertain the presence of hypertonia through the assessment of different body muscles.

Primitive reflexes – these are the reflexes that occur subconsciously and can be utilized in monitoring the development of pediatric patients.

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