NRS 434 Assignment Children’s Functional Health Pattern Analysis Assessment
NRS 434 Assignment Children’s Functional Health Pattern Analysis Assessment
Details:
In this assignment, you will be exploring actual and potential health problems in the childhood years using a functional health assessment and Erickson’s Stages of Child Development. To complete this assignment, do the following:
Using the textbook, complete the “Children’s Functional Health Pattern Assessment.” Follow the instructions in the resource for completing the assignment.
Cite and reference any outside sources used in your answers. Include in your assessment a thorough discussion of Erickson’s Stages of Child Development as it pertains to the development age of the child. NRS 434VN Assessment Of The Child: Functional Health Pattern Analysis Worksheet.
While APA format is not required for the body of this assignment, solid academic writing is expected and in-text citations and references should be presented using APA documentation guidelines, which can be found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center.
This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin.
Assessment is an important practice in nursing. Assessment provides data that nurses utilize in making their diagnoses and appropriate treatment plans for their patients. Assessment methods differ significantly based on the age group of a client. For example, it is anticipated that the physical assessment methods used for a pediatric patient differs significantly from that of an adult patient. Similarly, the assessment tools utilized to determine the care needs of the patients of different ages vary. Therefore, this paper explores the comparison of physical assessments used in school-aged children, their modification, and assessment of a child based on Piaget’s theory of development.
Comparison of Physical Assessment Among School-Aged Children
The assessment of school-aged children differs significantly from that of the toddlers, infants and the preschoolers. School-aged children have an enhanced understanding of the reality unlike infants, preschoolers, and toddlers that live in a world of fantasy. The thinking also differs among them as seen from the fact that school-aged children have developed logical thinking and comprehension of events. They also understand the consequences of their actions. School-aged children also have developed social skills from interacting with others in their societies. As a result, they have curiosity to learn new aspects in their lives and accomplish tasks for recognition. The children at the age group of 5-12 years can also express their health problems as well as their experience with them (Chiocca, 2019). Therefore, the appropriate modification of physical assessment techniques when working with them entails asking the children appropriate questions. It also entails involving the guardians or parents in the assessment process to obtain adequate data to inform the treatment plans. An additional modification entails beginning the assessment with areas that the children have a high level of awareness and moving to complex aspects of care (Tagher & Knapp, 2019).
Typical Assessment for a Child of a Specific Age
The selected case study involved a seven-year-old female patient brought to the clinic by her parents for assessment. The patient was brought for the annual normal checkup. She was born through caesarian surgery and with an Apgar score of 10. The immunization history is up-to-date with developments appropriate for her age. She does not have any history of surgeries or hospitalizations. The patient should demonstrate a number of cognitive, social, emotional and motor developmental milestones. She should have developed the desired cognitive abilities, as evidenced by her ability to describe her thoughts, feelings, and experiences and appreciate those of others. Further, she should be independent in forming friends and seeks acceptance from others. Finally, she should be able to perform physical activities such as sports and coordinate body activities effectively.
Developmental Assessment of a Child Using a Developmental Theory (Piaget)
Piaget’s theory of development can be applied in the above case study. According to Piaget, child’s development occurs gradually in four stages. The stages include sensory motor (birth to 2 years), preoperational (1.5-7 years), concrete operational (7-11 years), and formal operational (12-19 years). Based on the above, the child in the case study is in the concrete operational stage in Piaget’s model. Children in this stage are expected to have developed logical thinking. They have operational thought process characterized by their ability to relate abstract concepts with their experiences (Chiocca, 2019). Children in this stage also have the ability to express their feelings, emotions, and experiences. They also acknowledge the feelings and emotions of others. The focus of physical assessment when providing care to this client entails asking specific questions that they can answer to the best of their abilities and not her parents. The assessment should also focus on the exploration of issues relevant to the interests of the child. An example is asking questions related to the school, friends, her likes and dislikes. The nurse should provide information in simple language that is easy to understand for the children (Hockenberry et al., 2021). Since the visit by the client to the hospital was for regular assessment, it is anticipated that normal findings will be obtained.
Conclusion
The physical assessment of pediatric patients utilizes different approaches. The assessment depends largely on the developmental stage of the children. Nurses should demonstrate adaptability by being able to change the physical assessment approaches to suit the age group of their patients. In addition, theories of development such as Piaget’s should be used to inform the assessment findings.
References
Chiocca, E. M. (2019). Advanced Pediatric Assessment. New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
Hockenberry, M. J., Wilson, D., & Rodgers, C. C. (2021). Wong’s Essentials of Pediatric Nursing. Los Angeles, CA: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Tagher, G., & Knapp, L. (2019). Pediatric Nursing: A Case-Based Approach. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health.
