Patient Evaluation
QUESTION
Reflect on the focus system for the week (respiratory, cardiac, peripheral vascular systems).
What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment (above)?
What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan?
Patient Evaluation
ANSWER
Patient Evaluation
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Patient Evaluation
As part of the nursing process, patient assessment is a crucial process specific to every population. In assessing the respiratory and cardiac systems, nursing practitioners may experience several challenges that may affect diagnosis or proper evaluation of the systems. Notably, in cardiac and respiratory systems evaluation, it is essential to note the breathing rate, pulse, heartbeats, and rhythm. For instance, older adults undergo structural changes; it is often required that the practitioner be gentle in assessment and take note of age-related signs to avoid misdiagnosis. As you examine the veins, note that the skin may have aged and become leaner than young adults or children. The nurse should also be aware that the patient is under any therapy or medication that may trigger any respiratory or cardiovascular. During the evaluation, one also needs to check for airway blockages and recommend suction when needed. This is more critical when the patient is in an emergency (Mondor & Smith, 2020). The challenges may include a misdiagnosis of conditions with the natural effects of aging. Older adults are much more common to health-related issues and comorbidities. Thus, nurses may have a difficult time assessing and diagnosing the appropriate conditions. The fragility of the elderly populations also limits practical evaluation. Besides, assessing the cardiovascular system in the geriatric population system is multidimensional and involves a thorough examination of the heart, breathing activity, blood flow, veins, and ease of physical activity (Rolfe, 2019). Besides, for patients with underlying conditions, there may be medicinal triggers for some cardiac and respiratory systems. Most crucially, the nurses need to keep calm and compassionate as the elderly patients require more keenness, multidimensional approach, comorbidities, age-effects, and other factors that may affect the cardiovascular system. (Otey et al., 2019)
References
Mondor, E. E., & Smith, S. M. (2020). Nursing assessment: respiratory system. Lewis’s Medical- Surgical Nursing: Assessment and Management of Clinical Problems, 536-560.
Otey, T. D., & Rosen, C. L. Improving Nursing Assessment and Treatment of Respiratory Distress Using the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale. 2019
Rolfe, S. (2019). The importance of respiratory rate monitoring. British Journal of Nursing, 28(8), 504-508.