Physical Assessment

Physical Assessment

Physical assessment is a process that involves general observation of the condition of the patient from head to toe. In most cases, nurses conduct physical assessments whether random, routine, or intentional after an event such as a fall. Newly hired nurses perform thorough and more focused assessments and it is a process that consumes a lot of time. However, as time goes, they become effective and reduce the amount of time they consume in performing the assessments. There are various components of a head-to-toe assessment that are not considered critical while performing a physical assessment. This happens for different reasons, for instance, privacy concerns as well as time constraints. Nevertheless, it is important to develop proficiency in all elements since are revealing the general health of a person. Some of the areas that are often skipped during the assessment include neurological assessment. The assessment includes inspecting the sensory and motor functions, reflexes, mental status, cerebellum, vital signs, and pupillary response (Bickley, 2017). Nurses in the cardiac department are more likely to focus on heart rates, blood pressure, circulation, and heart functions compared to medical professionals in orthopedic who concentrated on neurological assessment.

In most cases, I do no find myself assessing all the twelve elements of cranial nerves, Glasgow coma scale, supraorbital pressure, or trapezius squeezes on my routine head-to-toe since I do not work in a surgical department. However, I focus on general body assessment that comprises if the cardiac, respiratory, and skin. In some instances, I am required to perform a neurological assessment depending on the condition of the patient. When the need arises, I check on the pupillary responses, motor function, mental condition, and reflexes. The priorities of performing these assessments depend on certain categories of patients as well as their health conditions. Conducting a neurological assessment in orthopedic surgical floors is significant in discovering abnormalities as well as preventing specific complications.  Moreover, the assessment is critical in the diagnosis of conditions such as carpal tunnel syndrome (Maher, 2016).  The neurological assessment also helps to identify some changes in the patient function which can call for an intervention.

Being familiar with all the components and being skilled at completing is critical in the nursing profession. Fundamentally, using these assessments helps in baseline observations and diagnoses of serious conditions. Therefore, a nurse needs to understand and complete these assessments thoroughly to ensure the right observations are recorded and appropriate intervention is undertaken. It is imperative to spare some time to complete these assessments since what cannot be used can be lost.

References

Maher, A. B. (2016, August). Neurological assessment. Retrieved from DOI: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27118633

Bickley, L. (2017). Bates’ guide to physical examination and history-taking (12th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.