When seeking to identify a patient’s health condition, advanced practice nurses can use a diverse selection of diagnostic tests and assessment tools; however, different factors affect the validity and reliability of the results produced by these tests or tools. Nurses must be aware of these factors in order to select the most appropriate test or tool and to accurately interpret the results.
Not only do these diagnostic tests affect adults, body measurements can provide a general picture of whether a child is receiving adequate nutrition or is at risk for health issues. These data, however, are just one aspect to be considered. Lifestyle, family history, and culture—among other factors—are also relevant. That said, gathering and communicating this information can be a delicate process.
For this Assignment, you will consider the validity and reliability of different assessment tools and diagnostic tests. You will explore issues such as sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values. You will also consider examples of children with various weight issues. You will explore how you could effectively gather information and encourage parents and caregivers to be proactive about their children’s health and weight.
The Assignment
Assignment (3–4 pages, not including title and reference pages):
Assignment Option 1: Adult Assessment Tools or Diagnostic Tests:
Include the following:
A description of how the assessment tool or diagnostic test you were assigned is used in healthcare.
What is its purpose?
How is it conducted?
What information does it gather?
Based on your research, evaluate the test or the tool’s validity and reliability, and explain any issues with sensitivity, reliability, and predictive values. Include references in appropriate APA formatting.
Case #2: 75-year-old non-English speaking female recently diagnosed with breast cancer (LAST NAMES beginning with letters Q through Z)
3.
Include the following:
An explanation of the health issues and risks that are relevant to the assignment.
Describe additional information you would need in order to further assess the health of this patient.
Identify and describe any risks and consider what further information you would need to gain a full understanding of the patient. Think about how you could gather this information in a sensitive fashion.
Taking into account the parents’ and caregivers’ potential sensitivities, list at least three specific questions you would ask about the patient to gather more information.
Provide at least two strategies you could employ to encourage the parents and or/patient/caregivers to be proactive about the health of the patient.
-The
health risk assessment for this patient would definitely include her age. The
older an individual is the harder it is for the body to fight and recover from
cancer. If a mastectomy is required there is also an increased risk for
complications from surgery as an individual ages. Additional assessments should
include physical activity level, drug, alcohol, and tobacco intake, and family
history.
Describe
additional information you would need in order to further assess the
health of this patient.
-Taking into account the issues brought forth
previously, there is more information for the APN to gather in order to get a
full picture of the patient’s health, realizing that care is needed to be taken
to bridge the language gap.
-Patients of this age tend to have greater vision
impairment that can lead to difficulty reading medications, taking incorrect
dosages, and even taking the wrong medicines. Taking into consideration that
she also is not able to efficiently read instructions in English, care must be
taken to ascertain if medications/care instructions are in her native language.
-The general level of compliance with
medication/treatment regimens for geriatric patients had a positive correlation
with both their educational status/awareness of the disease process/medications
and whether the patient lived with family.
-Functional impairments, regular appearances to
follow-up appointments, and whether adverse events were experienced also had a
large impact on treatment regimen adherence. These considerations, including
the APN ensuring effective translation services,
Identify and
describe any risks and consider what further information you would need to
gain a full understanding of the patient. Think about how you could gather
this information in a sensitive fashion.
being able to ascertain a patient’s dietary habits,
recent weight changes, changes in body proportions, and their body mass index
(BMI), can have great influences in the patient’s overall health, and ability
to recover from various ailments
check for any changes to body fat proportions, weight
gain/loss, and even any medications that may have had an impact on her ability
to eat or effectiveness of those medications.
Can patient afford adequate food, has transportation
to acquire it, any poorly fitting dentures, ability to incorporate exercise,
and even lack of social interactions that all may lead to poor health due to
decreased dietary intake.
Considering patient most likely adheres to more
specific cultural eating practices different from mainstream American diets,
(non-English speaking), the APN should ensure an understanding is found to
assess adequateness for health outcomes with her breast cancer
Taking into
account the parents’ and caregivers’ potential sensitivities, list at
least three specific questions you would ask about the patient to gather
more information.
What is the best way you are able to learn and retain
new information; such as you prefer reading, videos, demonstrations, or other
ways?
What are the general ways illnesses are treated according
to your cultural background?
What medications do you currently take; to include
ones prescribed from your doctor, any over-the-counter medications, and any
traditional/herbal remedies you use?
Can you describe a “normal day” for you in terms of
what you do, when you eat, what type of activities of a daily living you have,
and typical social interactions?
Provide at
least two strategies you could employ to encourage the parents and
or/patient/caregivers to be proactive about the health of the patient.
Considering the aforementioned correlation between a
patient’s understanding of the illness, the treatment regimen, and the
importance/benefits of it directly affected the propensity to more closely
adhere to the treatment regimen, ensuring proper education and understanding
will be the number one goal.
Audio recording, memory aid, daily journal, weekly
medication container
Having the ability to repeatedly go over instructions in her
native language at her leisure will go a long way to support her learning, and
thus increase her participation in her care.
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