Nursing Health Assessment - Essay Example

Health Assessment 22/10 An essay from Chapter 25, from the book Fundamental of Nursing 7th Edition by Taylor and Lynn Nursing is a profession that entails taking care of the sick in the hospital and during the homecare. Nurtures, therefore, will have to establish a good connection with the patient. The relationship enables the nurses to collect the necessary information that would be utilized by a doctor in identifying and treating the disease that the patient is suffering (Taylor & Lynn, 2012). During this relationship, the nurses can identify the strength that of the patient that can be utilized in treatment and counselling. They are also able to identify the possible or the actual disease or any other problem the patient is suffering. Establishing the anguish the serene is going through, the nurse can the plan the action that is to be executed for the benefit of the forbearing. To get the best results from the patient’s need, the nurses usually conduct some health assessment. There are four levels of assessments that are conducted by nurses depending on the needs of the patients. A comprehensive assessment is conducted to the patient upon the admission to the healthcare facility. During the patient’s stay at the hospital, partial assessments are conducted at regular intervals. The regular intervals forms part of the second type of assessment that is called the ongoing partial assessments (Taylor & Lynn, 2012). When a patient needs special care in relationship with the seriousness of the disease, a focussed assessment is conducted. In case the patient had undergone an accident and the condition may lead to death, an emergency assessment is conducted. The assessments are done to establish the best action that can be taken in the curing process. Thus, the patient need to offer the history of the disease. The facts can be obtained from the serene through interrogation. Therefore, the nurse should be in possession of quizzing techniques. Physical assessment is also done to ensure that no tissue or bone that may be ailing. During the health assessment, there are some factors that the nurse assesses when tracing the health history of the patient. Biographical data are collected, and the patient is also requested to give the reason for seeking the healthcare. They are also requested to give the history of their present illness and the previous medical history. Since some diseases are hereditary, the nurse may require a family history of the patient. They are also required to give their lifestyle in case the disease concerns poor lifestyle living. The sick information thus becomes the prime informant on records that the nurse requires. After the collection of the primary information, the sick is required to be prepared for physical assessment. The physiological and psychological needs of the sick if considered as part of the planning. The testing course is then explained to the patient. The patient is also encouraged the patient by pointing out that the process will not be painful. The procedural process is then required to be explained and how it will be conducted. The patient is then required to change into a medical gown and required to empty the bladder. The process requires the nurses to reply the patients’ request directly and honestly. The environment where the patient physical assessment is carried out need to be prepared in advance. The sick need to be primed the exact time for the assessment. The nurses must confirm that the sick is free of pain as ample as doable. The examination bench also demands to be in the room as well as the frock and the drape for the sick. The instruments to be also used need to be gathered and be supplied in advance. The window curtains or screens need to be opened in the room. Equipment that are used in a physical assessment includes the Snellen chart for the screening test for distant vision. The stethoscope, is another instrument utilized for listening the thuds of the lung, and cardiovascular system. Ophthalmoscope is another tool utilized to visualize the internal structures of the eyes. Otoscope is an instrument for examining the external auricle vessel and tympanic membrane. Apart from this equipment, there are also another equipment necessary for physical examinations. These are just a few tools of many that are used in various exercises There are various positions of the human body that are used in physical examinations. These sites include the back, the Sims, prone and dorsal recumbent. The supine site is expended to test the rectum and virginal. The spine and dorsal recumbent positions are expended in testing the head, neck, anterior thorax, lungs, heart, and breasts. The flat site is used to test the hip and subsequent thorax. There are also other positions that are used depending on the physical part that is being assessed. The nurses usually advice the patients when the need arises. There are also practices that are employed when conducting a bodily assessment. The techniques are used by the nurses to check the patient and improve their search for the disease. The inspection is done on the patient to assess the size, colour, shape, position and the symmetry. The palpation is also done to assess the physical body changes such as the body temperature that may be as a result of the patient feeling unwell. Thumping is carried out to assess the scene, shape, magnitude and concentration of tissues. Furthermore, auscultation is done to assess the four characteristics of sound, including the pitch, loudness, quality and duration. Nurses also have a role to study the behaviour of masses. The study is usually carried out to determine the healthy level of the nation. There is some characteristic of a society that is considered as healthy and therefore need to be achieved. The qualities that are checked include; the palpation shape, size, consistency, surface, morbidity, tenderness and pulsatile. When these characteristics are considered to be in line with the required characteristics, the masses are considered to be healthy. The types of sound that are heard using percussion include the following. The flat-soft sound that occurs in the thigh area. The monotonous-medium voice is also received from the liver. The reverberation-loud voice from the typical lung. In addition, the hyperreonance that is precise noisy voice is received from the emphysematous lung. Lastly, the tympany-loud voice just as the one wheezed from the gall. There is also some characteristic of sound that is looked into and is the one heard when using auscultation. The pitch sound that ranges from low to high is one of the voices. The intensity extending from lax to lurid, eminence of sound either burbling or hissing and period from petite, average and extensive (Taylor & Lynn, 2012). These results are then documented for various reasons. These include in order to identify the actual and potential health problems and to make the nursing diagnoses. The nurse can also plan appropriate care and evaluate patient’s responses to treatment. During the nursing care, there are some roles that the nurses perform during the diagnostic procedures. These roles include assisting before, during, and after diagnostic tests. The nurses are also responsible for other activities associated with diagnostic tests. The nurses also witnesses the patients consent and schedules the future tests. The nurses are also involved in preparing the patient’s physical and emotional readiness for the test. They also provide the required care when the patient has already been tested. They also dispose of the used equipment that may cause harm when left behind. Their final duty is to transport the specimen to the laboratory for further test. Therefore, the nurses have a huge task in ensuring that the patients are well taken care of, and their health improves. Reference Taylor, & Lynn. (2012). Fundamental of Nursing . New York: Oxford University Press. Read More