Patient Assessment
Case Study 1:
Mr. Perkins, age 81, reports for an annual physical examination. He says he is doing well. His only known problem is osteoarthritis. He also requests a flu shot. He takes no medications other than Tylenol for arthritis pain. When he walks into the exam room, you notice that he is using a straight cane in his right hand. When you ask about the cane, he says he began using the cane because the pain in his right hip had increased significantly over the past 6 months.
• Review the case study and, based on the provided information, think about a possible patient Assessment plan. As part of your Assessment planning, consider where the Assessment would take place, whether any other professionals or family members should be present, appropriate assessment tools and guidelines, and any other relevant information you may wish to address.
• Consider whether the assessment tool you identified was validated for use with this specific patient population and if this poses issues. Think about additional factors that might present issues when performing assessments such as language, education, prosthetics, missing limbs, etc.
• Consider immunization requirements that may be needed for this patient.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of your Assessment plan for the patient in the case study provided, and explain which type of assessment tool you might use for the patient. Explain whether the assessment tool was validated for use with this patient’s specific patient population and whether this poses issues. Include additional factors that might present issues when performing assessments, such as language, education, prosthetics, etc. Also explain the immunization requirements related to health promotion and disease prevention for the patient.
THEN: Review the case study and based on the provided information, think about a possible patient Assessment plan. As part of your Assessment planning, consider where the Assessment would take place, whether any other professionals or family members should be present, appropriate assessment tools and guidelines, and any other relevant information you may wish to address.
• Consider whether the assessment tool you identified was validated for use with this specific patient population and if this poses issues. Think about additional factors that might present issues when performing assessments such as language, education, prosthetics, missing limbs, etc.
• Consider immunization requirements that may be needed for this patient.
PLEASE COVER ALL POINTS IN YOUR DISCUSSION. POINTS WILL BE DEDUCTED IF ALL POINTS ARE NOT ADDRESSED! I recommend that you write your discussion in a word document on your computer, spell and grammar check, save it, and then copy and paste into BB.
REMEMBER TO CITE AND REFERENCE IN APA 7TH EDITION WHERE NEEDED. I also recommend that you cite your sources from the readings from your required and recommended reading lists!
BY DAY 6:
Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days in one or more of the following ways:
• Suggest alternative assessment tools and explain why these tools might be appropriate for your colleagues’ patients.
• Recommend strategies for mitigating issues related to use of the assessment tools your colleagues discussed.
• Explain other health promotion considerations for patients in this population or with related issues.
There are many great geriatric assessment tools! I hope you will explore and get to know many of them!
Patient Assessment
The best Assessment tool for the patient suffering from osteoarthritis and hip joint pain is the WOMAC Index. Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index (WOMAC) is used to assess the condition of a patient suffering from osteoarthritis (Holtz et al., 2020). The tool is used to assess three elements including pain, stiffness, and physical function. For instance, the pain element will be used to assess the causes such as while walking, standing, walking down or up the stairs, or lying down. Stiffness will be used to assess if the patient experiences stiffness after walking or sitting down (Holtz et al., 2020). The physical function will be used to assess the condition of the patient while sitting down, going out, sitting in a car, rising from bed, carrying out heavy domestic duties, putting on or putting off socks (Holtz et al., 2020). WOMAC Index was developed in 1982 and has been used in several clinical trials.
WOMAC Index has been used widely for the assessment of elderly patients (Bilbao et al., 2020). It is compatible with the patient in the case study. The 81-year-old patient who is coming to the clinic for an annual physical examination requires a comprehensive assessment. It will be essential to evaluate the three aspects of the patient including pain, stiffness, and physical function. The comprehensive assessment will help a practitioner to take the necessary steps to alleviate pain, address the cause of the pain, and stop the deterioration of the problem.
The tool will be useful in interpreting the condition of the patient. The higher the score, the higher the level of pain, stiffness, and physical dysfunction. One of the benefits of the tool in examining elderly patients is that takes a short time to examine the condition of patients (Fathi et al., 2020). For instance, it takes at least 5 to 10 minutes to carry out a comprehensive assessment of a patient. The tool is critical since elderly people do not like spending much time in the hospital.
The patient Assessment requires a practitioner who knows to examine the health of a patient (Fathi et al., 2020). A practitioner should study the health background of a patient before assessment. The answers to the assessment questions will determine if a patient is improving or not. The Assessment should consider the medication or therapy sessions that a patient is attending. It will be crucial to determine if the therapeutic interventions have an impact on the health of the patient.
It is critical to observe the language the patient understands, the ethnic background, level of education. The considerations are vital in achieving positive outcomes of delivering patient-centered care (Kim & Park, 2018). For instance, a language barrier may require a translator while the ethnic background will demand cultural competence. The education level of the patient is critical in assessing if they understand the medication, therapeutic interventions, and assessing the recovery.
Immunization requirements are vital in assessing if the patient requires a flu shot. A practitioner should examine the risks posed by the health condition of a patient. It is vital to explore other health promotion activities such as physical fitness, exercise, and a balanced diet. The health promotion considerations are critical in ensuring the patient is living a healthy life (Holtz et al., 2020). For instance, the patient should receive health education on the need to avoid straining the hip to avoid pain. The patient should continue with the current medication and come back for additional Assessment.
References
Bilbao, A., Martín-Fernández, J., García-Pérez, L., Arenaza, J. C., Ariza-Cardiel, G., Ramallo-Fariña, Y., & Ansola, L. (2020). Mapping WOMAC onto the EQ-5D-5L utility index in patients with hip or knee osteoarthritis. Value in Health, 23(3), 379-387.
Fathi, H. M. (2019). Unilateral versus bilateral primary knee osteoarthritis: Relation to the Western Ontario McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), C-reactive protein and radiological assessment in Egyptian patients. The Egyptian Rheumatologist, 41(4), 271-276.
Holtz, N., Hamilton, D. F., Giesinger, J. M., Jost, B., & Giesinger, K. (2020). Minimal important differences for the WOMAC osteoarthritis index and the Forgotten Joint Score-12 in total knee arthroplasty patients. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 21(1), 1-9.
Kim, J. S., & Park, J. S. (2018). A comparative study on health promotion behaviors by complementary alternative therapy utilization of elderly women with osteoarthritis. Journal of Digital Convergence, 16(2), 451-459.
