N495 Health Assessment

ASPEN N495 All Assignments Essays Latest Module 6 Assignment

Assignment Description

Head-to-Toe Physical Health Assessment

You will use the course text to guide you in completion of a head to toe assessment. A comprehensive health assessment allows an overall view of your patient’s health status. As a registered nurse you must possess the knowledge and tools to promote a healthy and productive lifestyle.

For this task, you will record a 15 min or less video of yourself completing a physical health assessment on a family member or friend (do not use a patient in a healthcare setting or a child under 18). You will use the head to toe assessment guide found in this module’s learning resources to record your findings. You will upload your video and a copy of the assessment guide for completion of this assignment.

Below are instructions on how to upload your video to Youtube:

Sign in/Sign Up to YouTube. (if you have a Gmail Account you can use that information for your Youtube Channel)

At the top of the page, click Upload.

Select Upload video.

Before you start uploading the video, you can choose the video privacy settings.

Select the video you’d like to upload from your computer. You can also import a video from Google Photos.

As the video is uploading, you can edit both the basic information and the advanced settings of the video and decide if you want to notify subscribers (if you uncheck this option, no communication will be shared with your subscribers). Partners will also be able to adjust their Monetization settings. You can have a title up to 100 characters and a description up to 5,000 characters.

Click Publish to finish uploading a public video to YouTube. If you set the video privacy setting to Private or Unlisted, just click Done to finish the upload or click Share to privately share your video.

If you haven’t clicked Publish, your video won’t be viewable by other people. You can always publish your video at a later time in your Video Manager.

Once your video is successfully Uploaded copy the link to a Microsoft Word Document and save it. Submit the document into the Dropbox and notify your instructor once it is successfully Uploaded.

 

MORE INFO 

Head-to-Toe Physical Health Assessment

Introduction

A physical health assessment is a great way to get to know your loved one better. It doesn’t take long and can be done by a family member or friend, but it should be done with care and in an environment where they feel comfortable. The following questions will help you assess the health of your loved one:

​Height, weight, and body mass index.

Height and weight are the most important measurements to take. Your BMI is a good indicator of your body fat percentage, but it’s not the only one. If you have any questions about what your BMI means, ask your doctor or sports trainer for help!

Body composition is also important to measure. This can be done by using an advanced waist measurement tool such as the Omron BCT-300S Body Composition Monitor (Amazon link). This device will tell you how much fat, muscle mass, and water you have in each area of your body; this information can help determine if there are any nutritional deficiencies or overindulgence issues with certain foods that may cause problems later on down the line when trying to lose weight (or gain muscle mass).

Body composition helps determine whether someone has excessive body fat percentage due to genetics or lifestyle choices made within their lifetime

Blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and it refers to the force of blood against the walls of your arteries. High blood pressure is called hypertension and low blood pressure is called hypotension. Normal values for adults are 120/80 mmHg, but this can vary depending on age, gender and ethnicity. If you have high blood pressure or pre-existing heart disease:

• You should consult a doctor as soon as possible because high levels can cause serious health problems such as a stroke or heart attack

• If you’re currently taking any medications for your condition, speak with your doctor about stopping them so that you won’t develop any side effects while taking this program

Oxygen saturation.

• How to measure oxygen saturation.

• What is normal and what is not.

• What can be done if it’s low, or if you have a hard time getting your blood oxygen level through the skin.

Body temperature.

Body temperature is one of the most important indicators of health. It’s a sign that your body is healthy, not sick or injured. A normal temperature should be 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit (37 degrees Celsius).

Your doctor may recommend taking your body temperature orally, rectally, or axillary—that’s right up there on your arm! You can also use a thermometer to take it orally or rectally if you don’t want to put something up against yourself where you could get hurt accidentally by poking at yourself with a pen-like object that has been used on babies before (or really anyone else).

Heart rate and rhythm.

• Heart rate. How fast your heart is beating and how irregular it is can be used to assess health. The rate of the pulse should be regular or irregular, but not too fast (a racing heart). It’s normal for a person’s pulse rate to vary from day to day depending on activity level, stress levels and other factors such as body size or age. If you notice that your pulse seems slower than usual when compared with someone else who has been resting in the same position for similar periods of time then this could indicate an underlying condition such as high blood pressure or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat).

• Rhythm of pulse: Regularity refers to whether your heart beats at regular intervals throughout each minute – this can be checked by counting seconds between beats over one minute while timing yourself using visual aids like a watch face showing time elapsed since previous beat was recorded; if there are no gaps between beats then they will appear equally spaced across time units measured here

Breathing pattern.

Breath rate

The breathing rate is the number of breaths per minute. The normal adult range is 12-20 breaths per minute, although some people have slower or faster rates.

Breathing rhythm

A person with a regular pattern of breathing will have an even, relaxed rhythm that’s easy to follow when you listen to them breathe quietly and watch their chest rise and fall. A person who has trouble controlling their breathing may take too deep a breath or hold their breath for an extended period of time before taking another one in a quick burst; this can cause hyperventilation (rapid panting) and make it difficult for them to talk without gasping for air every few seconds.*If you suspect that someone is having difficulty controlling their own breathing patterns, ask them whether they are using “breathing exercises”—such as counting backwards from 100—to improve control over these behaviors.*

General appearance and behavior.

• How is the patient reacting to the assessment?

• Is the patient looking healthy, or does he/she look like he/she is in pain or anxious?

• Does he/he appear tired?

Skin.

The skin should be smooth and elastic. It should be warm to touch, dry, and free of rashes, sores or wounds. The color of your skin is an important indicator of overall health; if it’s pale or yellowish in appearance it may indicate that you’re not getting enough sunlight on a daily basis (and thus vitamin D deficiency).

Head.

The head is the part of your body that you use to think, speak, and move. It contains the brain and other vital organs such as your eyes and ears.

Headaches are common in people who have arthritis or a headache condition called cluster headaches; they can also be caused by other conditions such as sinusitis (inflammation in the nose), meningitis (inflammation of membranes surrounding the brain), sinusitis with effusion (a combination of both), meningococcal infection, Ménière’s disease (a disorder involving abnormal pressure inside the inner ear), aneurysm rupture or bleeding into one or more blood vessels in either side of your neck/throat area from problems with circulation which may lead to swelling around those areas resulting from lack of oxygen supply due to blockage caused by high blood pressure levels between heart chambers due to atherosclerosis process made worse by smoking cigarettes

Neck.

• Check for swelling, tenderness, pain or stiffness in the neck.

• Look for signs of trauma or injury.

• Check symmetry and mobility of the neck.

• Check for signs of infection such as redness or pus; these could indicate an infection that’s affecting your skin (such as boils) or you may have an abscessed tooth that needs treatment from a dentist first before getting examined by a doctor at this point.

Face and lips.

• Note any swelling, discoloration, or unusual features.

• Check for symmetry.

• Test for lumps or bumps on the face.

• Test for symmetry of your lips (bilabial).

• Test for symmetry of your chin (lingual).

Ears and eye/eyesight/glasses/contacts/lenses​.

The following is an overview of the most common eye and ear health issues you may encounter during your physical assessment:

• Ear wax build-up. If you have excess earwax in your ears, it can make it difficult to hear. Ask if there’s any redness or discharge of the ear canal that needs attention. If so, schedule an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible!

• Redness or discharge of your ears. This could be an indicator of an infection (i.e., sore throats). You should always seek medical attention if this happens after taking antibiotics for longer than two weeks—and even then it isn’t advisable to take these medications again unless prescribed by a doctor first!

Nose and sinuses/breathing​ (mouth breathing).

The nose and sinuses/breathing​ (mouth breathing) are checked for nasal discharge, a stuffy or runny nose, and sneezing.

Nasal discharge is an important part of your physical health assessment as it can indicate a number of things:

• Nasal congestion “The sense that something is stuck in your nose.” This may be due to allergies or infections. Signs include watery eyes and nostrils, sniffling while lying down; itchy nose hairs; stuffed-up sinuses with pressure behind them when you breathe deeply through your mouth instead of just through the nose alone (this can lead to headaches). If you have these symptoms regularly over several days or weeks at a time—either daily or every few days—it’s worth making an appointment with your doctor so that he can hear about what exactly is bothering you so he can test for possible underlying causes such as allergies or infections (see below).

Mouth, teeth, gums, tongue, throat, tonsils, adenoids​ (note dental caries or other irregularities).

• Mouth, teeth, gums and tongue

• Throat (including voice box)

• Adenoids or tonsils

Conclusion

No one should feel uncomfortable about asking a doctor these questions. A patient’s physical health is just as important as any other part of their life and it doesn’t hurt to know what is going on in your body!