Assessment of the Patient with Acute Abdominal Pain - Book Report/Review Example

The four quadrants consist of the right upper quadrant, left upper quadrant, right lower quadrant, and left lower quadrant.

The four quadrants can be used as a tool to determine the causes of abdominal pain. The causes of abdominal main were also enumerated and explained. The cause named were appendicitis, biliary colic, bowel obstruction, cholecystitis, gastrointestinal disease, gynecological emergencies, hepatitis, leaking abdominal aortic aneurysm, pancreatitis, peritonitis, and urinary tract infection or pyelonephritis, The crucial role of health care workers particularly nurses were established in the article and the systematic approach to assessment was also discussed.

Pain, associated symptoms, past medical and medication history, and social and family history were the main questions identified. The diagnostics in nursing care that are importantly needed were also identified namely, vital signs, electrocardiogram, urinalysis, blood tests, fluid balance, analgesia, and anti-emetics. Evaluation “Assessment of the Patient with Acute Abdominal Pain” has successfully provided substantial coverage of information and background about acute abdominal pain. It has established the importance of giving priority to abdominal pain problems by identifying the organs associated with it, its causes, and the accompanying medical care that should be given to it.

The role of health care workers with a focus on nurses was also emphasized in this article and the recommended approach was also discussed. The article acted like an umbrella that provided essential information for both the patient and the nurse. Through the different causes of abdominal pain identified, the patient will be able to be informed well of the specific cause of his own abdominal pain as well the other possible causes of it. The patient can realize the variety of causes of this ailment can relieve the anxiety of the patient, on whether the doctor and the nurses are telling him sufficient information about his ailment.

The patient can also be informed of the recommended approach to deal with abdominal pain and the relevant diagnostics to be determined. What is remarkable about this article is that it provided an explanation of the relevant diagnostics for this particular ailment. Through this, the patient and his family members will be able to know the important data in his profile that affects his abdominal pain but also for other complications that might occur. The nurse may also find this article advantageous by implementing the systematic approach discussed there and determine whether that particular approach is applicable for the apparent situation in their health care institution.

If not, the nurse may also get some ideas in order to improve his or her own nurse care quality and efficiency. The article provided a concise walkthrough of what a person experiencing abdominal pain may expect to experience, what do they need to know, and the expectations during medical treatment. It was successful in accomplishing its objectives. The first is to “describe the anatomy and physiology of organs associated with abdominal pain” which was explained through the four quadrants of the abdomen and made easy through good sentence construction and a visual representation.

Second, the objective to “identify the main cause of abdominal pain and differential diagnoses” discussed the causes comprehensively and some of them have supporting statistical data. The third of the objectives is to “ask relevant questions of a patient presenting abdominal pain.” A systematic approach was described in this section to be able to guide the nurse in the recommended way of handling it. The fourth is to “discuss the appropriate investigations and nursing care required”. The relevant diagnostics were enumerated and their significance was explained in this section.

It has also included other suggestions for patients with special health considerations. And lastly, to “understand the principles of symptom management” acts as the overall aim of this article, that by reading the whole article, the proper care for abdominal pain patients will be established. Symptom management is another subject matter too broad to be discussed and included in this article. Probably this particular objective need not be included or it could be rephrased to give a more relevant sense.

Another good thing about this article is the “Time out” section where the reader can take a breather after each section of the reading to check his or her understanding about the matter and take time on how he will be able to apply this knowledge in the workplace. The tables could help the reader to organize the information inside his mind. The table that provides mnemonics of the causes of abdominal pain can act as a good learning aid for nurses to perform their job more efficiently. References Assessment of Acute Abdominal Pain. (n.d.).