W#4 Health Assessment (Peer replies)

Reply Posts

Respond to your peers’ post and include the following:

· Insight on a solution to an identified peer challenge.

· Resources that may be helpful related to your peers’ post.

POST # 2 WANDA

(Wanda’s initial Post)

Reflect on the focus area or system(s) for the week.

· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment?

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

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

· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment? The challenges I may anticipate this week are making sure I have enough information to accurately diagnose my patient (meaning associated conditions and any relevant past medical history) for other student postings. The last assignment was a bit confusing for some, which could pose a problem this week. However, skin problems and abdominal pain can be a variety of things. As a healthcare provider, if you do not pay close attention to what the patient is saying or ask the appropriate questions, you can misdiagnose. Therefore, it is imperative to fully assess your patient and refer to a specialist when appropriate.

· What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan? Differences that I may foresee this week when assessing patients across the life span are children's assessment. Children may be limited in their ability to provide precise information or not recall certain things they have told their parents. Therefore, making it difficult to diagnose and for the parents to explain what is going on with the child. For women of childbearing age complaining of abdominal pain, a pregnancy test should be administered to rule out pregnancy. Asking specifics about her sexual and menstrual history would be a priority with women of childbearing age. When you think about the elderly patients; some of them have dementia or Alzheimer's and may complain of referred pain or may not remember complaining of pain in the first place. Therefore, dealing with patients across the lifespan can be difficult and challenging, but performing a thorough physical examination and extensive health history can make diagnosing a little easier. 

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

According to Apau (2010), the objective of assessing the patient with abdominal pain is to create an early, efficient, and precise diagnosis. Establishing a description of the onset, location, intensity, character, aggravating or alleviating factors, other symptoms, medical history, medication, and social history will shed more light on the nature of the problem (Apau, 2010, p.51).

Physical examination should consist of inspection, auscultation, percussion, palpation, and other special maneuvers to aid diagnosis. Good knowledge and ability to differentiate between the different forms of visceral pain will get the healthcare provider a step closer to establishing the underlying diagnosis (Apau, 2010).