Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child
QUESTION
Compare the physical assessment of a child to that of an adult. In addition to describing the similar/different aspects of the physical assessment, explain how the nurse would offer instruction during the assessment, how communication would be adapted to offer explanations, and what strategies the nurse would use to encourage engagement.
Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child
ANSWER
Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child
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Developmental Assessment and the School-Aged Child
Physical assessments are essential because they help a nurse to determine the patients’ health status, check potential ailments and may be used to update immunization. The nurse acquires patients’ data through the assessments, including name, sex, age, socioeconomic status, etc. However, they can vary from adults to children. Pediatric assessment differs from an adult in different ways because of various considerations and the distinctive aspects of assessing an adult. This essay compares the physical evaluation of an adult to a child’s while explaining multiple concerns for a nurse when offering instructions during such assessments.
Some similarities include history inquiry requiring a series of questions and paying close attention to illnesses. In both assessments, the nurse takes the patients’ history, pays close attention to current diseases for proper interventions (Davis et al., 2017). When assessing a child, procedures like taking head circumference, convulsion, gestation term, jaundice, and any infections get considered. Further, the intellectual abilities and motor assessment of a child are also critical. On the other hand, adults get assessed through auscultation, palpation, inspection, and percussion techniques (Falkner, 2018). Nurses are supposed to avoid psychologically influencing words and only offer polite instructions when required. For the child to open up, the nurse should encourage engagement through a child-centered activity.
In conclusion, physical assessments, which vary from children to adults, are crucial for proper diagnosis and intervention. However, a child’s assessment may require different aspects, such as birth weight, intellectual ability, and convulsion. The logical explanations given to an adult during evaluation might not be applicable for a child since they might not be able to deal with the information psychologically. When offering assessment, the nurse must maintain a polite and effective attitude while engaging the patient through child-centered activities if it’s a child and patient-centered engagement for an adult.
References
Davis, G. A., Anderson, V., Babl, F. E., Gioia, G. A., Giza, C. C., Meehan, W., … & Zemek, R. (2017). What is the difference in concussion management in children as compared with adults? A systematic review. British journal of sports medicine, 51(12), 949-957. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Rosemarie-Moser/publication/316567958_What_is_the_difference_in_concussion_management_in_children_as_compared_with_adults_A_systematic_review/links/5b034f894585154aeb071cef/What-is-the-difference-in-concussion-management-in-children-as-compared-with-adults-A-systematic-review.pdf
Falkner, A. (2018). Age-Appropriate Approach to Pediatric Health Care Assessment. In Health assessment: Foundations for effective practice. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs434vn/health-assessment-foundations-for-effective-practice/v1.1/#/chapter/2