Health Assessment Practice Flashcards

Comprehensive flashcards covering definition, purpose, types, and techniques of health assessment based on the lecture notes.

How is health assessment defined in the nursing context?

Health assessment is an organized systematic assessment of the human body using one's senses to determine general physical and mental conditions by collecting both subjective and objective data.

According to Jarvis (2012), what does a thorough and skilled assessment allow a nurse to obtain?

It allows the nurse to obtain descriptions about patient symptoms, how they developed, and associated physical findings to aid in differential diagnoses.

What are the three major areas of assessment used for differential diagnosis?

History, Physical Exam, and Laboratory Data & Diagnostic Tests.

What are the sources from which a health history can be obtained?

An interview, the patient's previous records, the patient directly, and in some cases, significant others or caretakers.

What does the mnemonic SOAPIE/R stand for in documentation?

Subjective findings, Objective findings, Assessment, Plan, Interventions, Evaluation, and Revision.

What does the mnemonic ADPIE represent?

Assessment, Diagnosis, Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation.

What are the four fundamental types of health assessments?

Comprehensive or complete, Interval or abbreviated, Problem-focused, and Special populations.

What characterizes a Comprehensive Assessment?

A detailed history and physical examination performed at the onset of care in primary care, hospital admission, or long-term care facilities.

In which settings is a problem-focused assessment most commonly used?

Walk-in clinics, emergency departments, and outpatient departments.

When is an interval or abbreviated assessment typically performed?

At subsequent visits in an outpatient setting, at change of shift, when returning from tests, or upon transfer to another unit.

What is the difference between Subjective (S) and Objective (O) data?

Subjective data consists of symptoms the patient reports or feels (history); Objective data consists of signs observed by the examiner, physical exam findings, and laboratory data.

What are the three stages of the health history interview?

Introductory (establish rapport), Working (develop diagnostic hypothesis), and Termination (negotiate a plan).

In non-verbal communication, what distances define 'impersonal' versus 'private' space?

Impersonal space is more than 5 feet; private space is less than 3 feet.

What does the mnemonic OLD CART stand for in symptom analysis?

Onset, Location, Duration, Causative factors, Associations, Reactions, and Treatment.

What are the components of the COLDSPA mnemonic used to analyze symptoms?

Character, Onset, Location, Duration, Severity, Pattern, and Associated factors.

What are the four primary techniques of physical examination?

Inspection, Palpation, Percussion, and Auscultation.

What are the specific depths for light versus deep palpation?

Light palpation is $1\,cm$ ($1/2$ - $3/4$ inches) deep; deep palpation is $4\,cm$ ($1/5$ - $2$ inches) deep.

Which areas of the hand are used for specific types of palpation?

The Palmar and Ulnar areas are used for touch discrimination; the Dorsal area is used for temperature discrimination.

Match the percussion sound to the body area: Tympany, Resonance, and Dullness.

Tympany: Gastric bubble; Resonance: Healthy lung; Dullness: Liver.

What is the difference between using the diaphragm and the bell of a stethoscope?

The diaphragm is held firmly to detect high frequency sounds; the bell is held with light pressure to detect low frequency sounds.

What are the five parameters measured during a pediatric assessment?

History, Development, Measurements, Physical Assessment, and Assessment interpretation & health plan.

What does the Review of Systems (ROS) for the Respiratory system specifically include?

Pain, dyspnea, SOB, cyanosis, wheezing, cough, sputum, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, TB/BCG, last CXR, and smoking.

What equipment is used to assess the eyes and ears during a physical exam?

Ophthalmoscope for eyes and Otoscope for ears.

In a cardiovascular ROS, what does 'orthopnea' refer to?

Shortness of breath that requires a specific number of pillows to breathe comfortably while lying down.