PHYSICAL ASSESSMENT

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The purpose of physical assessment is to assess client’s health status. You may have to gain a keen eye similarly to that of a Sherlock Holmes so to speak. As you perform this series of task you may already have the built-in questions in your mind and you should know what you are doing. Remember, the variable that you are working with is a person and not a thing and that is why you have to be extra careful with whatever you are going to do. Another purpose when doing a physical assessment is to interpret the client’s physical data. It can be written in a narrative form, in a graph, in a chart, or in a checklist, or whatever that is used that suits you in your working area, however it must also be in accord with the policy of your institution. But why do you need a physical data? Well, that’s easy, it is for records. And this is to be interpreted very well and very professionally. This is where you set your big question: “is he sick or not sick?” and when you found out that he is sick the next purpose of physical assessment comes in – decide on the interventions basing from the data collected. As the nurse, you finally put things in place and plan your way ahead and your very main goal is to fix your subject regain back his health. Of course the rate of success won’t happen in a blink of an eye. Time will be your friend and both of you will work things out right.