Assessing functional status - Essay Example

Assessing functional status Assessing functional status Ways of Assessing Functional Status of Patients Functional status is assessed by measuring the ability of the patient to perform basic Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) as well as their participation in social and behavioral activities referred to as IADLs; Instrumental Activities of Daily Living. (Mark E, W, 1995) In my clinical area the functional status of our patients are measured based on a set of physical abilities. The abilities assessed are Cognitive Status, Ambulatory Status and sensor abilities such as hearing, vision, speech, touch and taste.

A physician observes the patient and records his conclusion in a score card. Scoring SystemThe scoring system varies for every status being measured. Below is a highlight of the system used in my clinical area. The assessing physician circles the most appropriate definition.Cognitive status: This is conducted to detect dementia, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson. The scoring system ranges from Excellent=> Diminished=> Dementia=> Parkinson=> Others. The ambulatory status is done to determine the patient’s mobility capability.

The assessing physician should check if the patient uses a wheel chair, a cane or prosthetic devices for movement. If otherwise he should establish whether the ability is excellent, good or fair by checking the ease with the patient can climb stairs.The ability of the senses often range from excellent to poor beyond which specific descriptions are employed. In the case of hearing ability the other options are either deaf or use of hearing aids. When assessing vision, the patient should either be using glasses, contacts or is blind.

Cataracts, glaucoma, DM retinopathy and Macular degeneration also form part of the scoring system. The assessment of speech is aimed at recognizing speech problems such as verbal apraxia, Aphasia, Dysphonia and abnormal tongue and lip movements. Ill-fitting dentures too are checked. Touch is scored in terms of normal sensitivity, decreased sensitivity or numbness to temperature. Smell and taste sensitivity cannot be described as excellent, good or fair. It is either having no problem or is changed.

The checking physician notes down the changes in the score card. Importance of Assessing Functional StatusAssessing functional status of a patient is important in many occasions. According to Preeti (2009), one situation where it is necessary is a patient is about to undergo an operation. In most cases, the results of the assessment are compared with the possible outcomes of the operation. Pre-operation functional status assessment is aimed at identifying the impairment. It is reported that most patients who after operations develop delirium depression and general inability to recover had functional and cognitive impairments which were not considered before operation.

Under this situation, the studies would have helped prevent postoperative health decline in the adults (Preeti, 2009).Generally, geriatric assessment is necessary in determining a patient’s functional capabilities, medical status and psychological status. This knowledge is necessary when developing a treatment plan. It is also useful when creating a follow up plan to check on the status of a patient (Mark, 1995).Case study: KATZ ADL on a 78 year old.A lady friend told me about her ageing father who seemed to have a hearing problem.

I managed to talk to the father. He insisted that everyone else around was the problem, they were not talking clearly. To prove that he is fine, he agreed that I perform a Katz test on him. The results showed that he had no other impairment. However, in the process he mentioned having headaches, and losing interest in some of the things he enjoyed such as playing golf. I decided to refer him to for a comprehensive geriatric test and possibility of depression. From this experience, I learnt that even though Katz ADL test can always be used detect impairments, they are not very conclusive.

The adult Care form is a better way as it takes into account every level of complications. Though it (Katz) can detect changes in health, its ability to measure minute health changes is limited. Hence, every test should be followed by a comprehensive geriatric test (Mark, 1995).ReferencesMark E, W (1995). The American Geriatrics Societys Complete Guide to Aging and Health, New York: Prentice HallPreeti N. M (2009): Functional Status Assessment in the Preoperative evaluation of older adults, New York: American Medical Association