Nursing health assessment

1. HEALTH ASSESSMENT
FUNDAMENTAL OF NURSING

2. Unit 8
Objectives
* Describe and purpose and processes of health
assessment
Describe the health assessment of each body
system
 Perform health assessment of each body
system

3. HEALTH ASSESSMENT
 Purposes
 Process of Health assessment
a) Health history
b) Physical examination
(Methods – Inspection, Palpation, Percussion,
Auscultation, Olfaction)
c) Preparation for examination : Patient and Unit

4. Continue
d) General assessment
e) Assessment of each body system
f) Recording of health assessment

6. Introduction
 Health assessment is an essential nursing
function which provides foundation for
quality nursing care and interventions.
It helps to identify the strength of the clients
in promoting health.

7. Continue
 Health assessment helps to identify clients
needs, clinical problems.
 To evaluate response of the person to
health

8. Definition
 Health assessment is refers to systematic
appraisal of all factors relevant to client’s
health. OR
 Health assessment includes collecting
subjective data through interviewing the client
and obtaining objective data by physically
examining the client

9. Purposes of health assessment
 Establish a data base for the clients normal
abilities risk factors, and any current alterations
in function.
Plan strategies to to encourage continuation of
healthy patterns, prevent potential health
problems and alleviate or manage existing
health problems.

10. Conti
 To gather information regarding client’s health
 To determine client’s normal function
 To organize the collected information
 To identify the health problems
 To identify client’s strengths
 To idientify need for health teaching

11. Continue
 Provide the holistic view of the clients
 Formulating conclusion or a problem
statement such as a nursing diagnosis.

12. Continue
 To collect data pertinent to the patient’s
health status e.g subjective and objective
data
 To identify deviations from normal
To pointout actual problems
To build Rapport with patient and family.

14. TYPES OF ASSESSMENT
 Initial assessment
 Focused assessment
 Emergency assessment
 Time lapsed -assessment

15. INTIAL ASSESSMENT
It is performed within specified time after admission to a
hospital.
The establish a complete data base for problem
identification , reference and future comparison.
e.g. Nursing admission assessment

16. FOCUS or ONGOING ASSESSMENT
 on going or focused assessment is ongoing process
integrated with nursing care.
 Purpose The main purpose of ongoing or focused
assessment to determine the status of a specific and to
identify new or overlooked problem
 e.g. Hourly assessment of client’s fluid intake and output
chart

17. EMERGENCY ASSESSMENT
 Emergency assessment is life saving assessment the major
purpose of emergency assessment is save the patient or
client’s life.
 Purpose . To identify life- threatining problems
 E.g a rapid asessment of person’s airway b breathing ,and
cirulation during cardiac arrest

18. TIME-LAPSED ASSESSMENT
 Time lapsed assessment involves assessment several days
after first initial assessment.
 Purpose. To compare the client’s current status to baseline
data previously obtained.
e.g Reassessment of a client’s functional health patterns in a
home.

19. METHODS OF ASSESSMENT
 The primary methods used to assess client’s are .
OBSERVING
INERVIEWING
EXAMINING

20. OBSERVING
 Observation is a conscious,deleberate skill that is
developed only through and with an organized approach.
 E.g. Client data observed through four senses that is
through vision, smell,hearing, and touch.

21. INTERVIEWING
An interview is a planned communication or a conversation
with a purpose.
e.g. History taking

22. EXAMINING
 The physical examination is a systematic data or information
collection method that uses observational skills to detect
health problems .
 The conducting the examination , the nurse uses techniques
of inspection ,auscultation, palpation and percussion.