W#10 Health Assessment (replies)

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REFLECTION (MUSCULOSKELETAL) 4

Reflection (Musculoskeletal)

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1. What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment? 

One of the challenges anticipated as far as conducting a musculoskeletal assessment stems from the fact that one has to rely on the subjective responses from the patient. Although physical assessment is objective, when carrying out musculoskeletal assessment it is hard to rely only on objective findings since the patient has to share subjective perceptions. For instance, when determining the range of motion for a certain joint, it is expected that a health practitioner will rely on the patient’s response in terms of pain perception. As such, the subjective dimension of musculoskeletal assessment poses a major challenge since subjective information is not verifiable and can easily hinder accurate assessment. The other challenge is deeply rooted in the inter-systemic connectedness of the musculoskeletal system. According to Fernandes, Gonçalves & Conti, (2018), musculoskeletal assessment findings should be well-thought beyond the musculoskeletal scope to consider other possibilities such as disorders affecting the skin, neurological, and even cardiovascular system.

2. What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan?

Age is one of the musculoskeletal health determinants due to age-related lifestyle and daily living aspects and age-related disorders. As such, differences in musculoskeletal complaints, assessment techniques, and findings have to be expected. For example, the elderly population has the highest propensity to suffer from age-associated musculoskeletal disorders. In the same way, children are prone to physical development disorders and complaints emanating from their daily play environment such as joint dislocation. Age is also a major determinant of self-expression and communication skills. For example, elderly people may have other underlying mental issues such as dementia that may impair effective communication. Therefore, it is important to anticipate age-related differences in musculoskeletal assessment and take patient-centered assessment techniques as dictated by their age and stage in development (Schoenwald & Douglas, 2017).

3. Share findings from scholarly resources that help in the performance of this assessment.

  Having a sound knowledge of the common musculoskeletal complains and issues for each age-group is one of the evidence-based strategies to enhance physical examination (Brennan-Olsen, Hayes & Duque, 2019). Having sound background knowledge of what to expect for each patient population helps in making effective judgments. Furthermore, it is important to incorporate subjective assessment findings to enhance physical examination (Brennan-Olsen, Hayes & Duque, 2019).

References

Brennan-Olsen, S. L., Hayes, A., & Duque, G. (2019). Musculoskeletal Health and Healthy Ageing. In Healthy Aging (pp. 53-66). Springer, Cham.

Fernandes, G., Gonçalves, D. A., & Conti, P. (2018). Musculoskeletal disorders. Dental Clinics, 62(4), 553-564.

Schoenwald, A., & Douglas, C. (2017). Undertaking a Focused Assessment: Physical Assessment of Body Systems. Potter and Perry's Fundamentals of Nursing-Australian Version, 5th Edition, 578-621.