Running Head: HEALTH ASSESSMENT 1

Health Assessment

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HEALTH ASSESSMENT 2

The physical assessment of children and adults are very different in many ways since the

effect of diseases and illnesses are distinct in terms of the patient’s anatomy, physiology,

emotional, social, and cognitive abilities. One example is the physical examination where the

adults usually have more comprehensive and complicated medical assessment than children. The

disease in adults may present with comorbidities and other factors that make it complex and

difficult to identify while children are easier to diagnose because of their simple

pathophysiology. Moreover, acquiring each patient’s vital signs (temperature, heart rate, blood

pressure) may be difficult in children as compared to adults because of their cognition level.

Discussing a diagnosis is different between an adult and children because in the former, you can

explain it directly while in the latter, you have to explain it in a certain manner that will allow

them to understand it better. In addition, for every child, there are different strategies to

encourage them to take medications, coping abilities for medical procedures, normal lab values

or ranges, and physical skills for engagement.

It is important to consider the age and development stage of the children and utilize certain

behaviors related to their culture and personal beliefs and values. The rapport between child and

parents must be built to effectively communicate the accurate diagnosis, as well as in adults. One

example is to use playing techniques to establish rapport in children. For physical examinations,

the nurse must reassure the patient to relax and examine from least to most sensitive areas of the

body. Afterwards, the instructions must be communicated to both children and parents for the

appropriate care and action. These methods can be applied similarly in adults in the ways of

explaining instructions during the assessment, kind of communication for explanations, and

strategies to encourage engagement in order to obtain an accurate physical assessment.

HEALTH ASSESSMENT 3

References

4 Major Differences Between Pediatrics And Adult Nurses. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://nurse.org/articles/differences-between-pediatrics-adults/

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.rch.org.au/studentorientation/Differences_between_children_and_adults/

The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.rch.org.au/rchcpg/hospital_clinical_guideline_index/Nursing_assessment/