Assessing the Heart Vascular System

Assessing the Heart Vascular System

Week 7 discussion

Discussion: Assessing the Heart, Lungs, and Peripheral Vascular System

Take a moment to observe your breathing Notice the sensation of your chest expanding as air flows into your lungs Feel your chest contract as you exhale How might this experience be different for someone with chronic lung disease or someone experiencing an asthma attack?

In order to adequately assess the chest region of a patient, nurses need to be aware of a patient’s history, potential abnormal findings, and what physical exams and diagnostic tests should be conducted to determine the causes and severity of abnormalities

In this Discussion, you will consider how a patient’s initial symptoms can result in very different diagnoses when further assessment is conducted

Note: By Day 1 of this week, your Instructor will have assigned you to one of the following specific case studies for this Discussion Also, your Discussion post should be in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format, rather than the traditional narrative style Discussion posting format Refer to Chapter 2 of the Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5 Learning Resources for guidance Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP notes have specific data included in every patient case

To prepare:

With regard to the case study you were assigned:

Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide

Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient

Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition How would the results be used to make a diagnosis?

Identify at least five possible conditions that may be considered in a differential diagnosis for the patient

Note: Before you submit your initial post, replace the subject line (“Discussion – Week 6”) with “Review of Case Study” identifying the number of the case study you were assigned

By Day 3

Post an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in week 5 resources Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis and justify why you selected each

Note: For this Discussion, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings Begin by clicking on the “Post to Discussion Question” link and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who were assigned different case studies than you Analyze the possible conditions from your colleagues’ differential diagnoses Determine which of the conditions you would reject and why Identify the most likely condition, and justify your reasoning

Week 8 discussion

Discussion: Assessing Muscoskeletal Pain

The body is constantly sending signals about its health One of the most easily recognized signals is pain Musculoskeletal conditions comprise one of the leading causes of severe long-term pain in patients The musculoskeletal system is an elaborate system of interconnected levers that provide the body with support and mobility Because of the interconnectedness of the musculoskeletal system, identifying the causes of pain can be challenging Accurately interpreting the cause of musculoskeletal pain requires an assessment process informed by patient history and physical exams

In this Discussion, you will consider case studies that describe abnormal findings in patients seen in a clinical setting

Note: By Day 1 of this week, your Instructor will have assigned you to one of the following specific case studies for this Discussion Also, your Discussion post should be in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format, rather than the traditional narrative style Discussion posting format Refer to Chapter 2 of the Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5 Learning Resources for guidance Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP notes have specific data included in every patient case