Topic > Meaning and Components of Comprehensive Health Assessment

Index IntroductionComponents of Comprehensive Health Assessment and its MeaningPsychosocial AssessmentNutritional AssessmentConclusionIntroductionHealth assessment is important in clinical nursing practice. A comprehensive health assessment can help identify the patient's needs and then develop an individual care plan for them. There are mainly six components of comprehensive health assessment, which are psychosocial assessment, nutritional assessment, spiritual assessment, developmental assessment, cultural assessment and physical assessment, the details are as follows. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Components of Comprehensive Health Assessment and its Meaning Psychosocial assessment consists of evaluating one's physical, social, mental, spiritual, emotional status and functional ability in the community. By knowing all aspects of the patient's life, it helps determine the appropriate nursing care and treatment plan for the patient (Roberts, 2013). Nutritional assessment consists of determining one's nutritional status with reference to anthropometric measurements, biochemical characteristics, clinical data, dietary practices and medical history. It can define whether the patient is nourished or malnourished. By monitoring the change in the patient's nutritional status, it helps prevent, promote health and identify high-risk patients (Encyclopedia, 2019). Spiritual assessment involves identifying your spiritual or religious needs, beliefs, positive and negative experiences, as well as your physical condition. and mental well-being. It can offer another way of support and thus provide much relief to suffering patients (Saguil & Phelps, 2012). Developmental assessment consists of testing one's cognitive, communication, emotional, behavioral, social interaction, motor, sensory and adaptive abilities. skills. It can help identify possible developmental problems and provide early diagnosis and intervention (New York State, 1999). Cultural assessment involves evaluating one's cultural values, beliefs, tradition and lifestyle. By understanding the patient's cultural needs and preferences, accepting and respecting their cultural diversity, it helps to personalize the nursing care plan and therefore provide unique care (Spring Institute, 2019). Physical assessment involves performing a head-to-toe physical examination through inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation to gather information. After obtaining the patient's physical data, it can check for any abnormal results and help identify the diagnosis and thus treat the disease promptly (Brookside Associates, 2007). Psychosocial assessment For the mental dimension, Paul's physical appearance can be observed. For example, observing his grooming and cleanliness, which may indicate his ability to take care of himself. Also, by observing his gait, posture, consciousness, alertness, body odor, one can tell whether he suffers from alcohol use or something else. By asking Paul to describe his illness, his speech can show his logical thinking, organization, and reasoning process. You can also ask past medical history to see why Paul says he is tired and therefore affect his work, ask about any current treatment or recovery plan for this. In the emotional dimension, ask Paul about any pre-existing psychosocial concerns or problems, and any changesof emotions or depressive symptoms, as it could cause psychosocial distress or even psychiatric illnesses. Additionally, ask Paul to describe and list any sources of stress, such as financial, health, marital, social, relationship problems, job stability, and identify any relaxation techniques, such as sports, and methods, such as relief aids. these problems. Encourage Paul to participate in some activities, meet new friends and find a soulmate to receive emotional support to express his loneliness, hopelessness and worthlessness. Regarding the social dimension, it is possible to ask information about the interpersonal relationship, structure and family background. How is the relationship in the previous marriage, are there children? Additionally, you can ask about the relationship between Paul's parents or any other siblings. Family support is critical for psychosocial health as they know you best and can provide emotional support. Also, ask to describe the relationship between friends or colleagues, who can help and provide social support to Paul. Regarding the spiritual dimension, one can ask about Paul's religious and spiritual beliefs, cultural background and his thoughts towards life and the future. Your thoughts and beliefs can influence your psychosocial well-being. In addition to this, there are assessment tools that can be used in psychosocial assessment. The Psychological Well-Being Scale, developed by psychologist Carol Ryff, can be used to determine your psychosocial well-being. The scale is composed of six components: autonomy, mastery of the environment, personal growth, positive relationships with others, purpose in life, self-acceptance. There are 42 questions to assess how the patient describes himself and his life. For example, for self-acceptance, a higher score means that the patient has a positive attitude towards himself, while a low score indicates that he is dissatisfied with life. In a word, a higher score indicates greater physiological well-being for each category (Seifert, 2005). There are various internal and external factors that can influence one's psychosocial health. In Paul's case, he is under stress which affects his physical health and fitness, makes him feel tired and unable to work. Furthermore, stress changes your lifestyle, eating habits and sleep patterns. The emotional changes even make him addicted to alcohol. Paul's role changes after he goes bankrupt and gets divorced. He feels lonely, socially isolated and is emotionally disturbed. In view of this, stress management is necessary because it can improve psychosocial well-being. Furthermore, the divorce made Paul introverted. Loss of family support means loss of sense of self-worth, love and emotional support. Interdependent relationship, for example family, friends, colleagues, is disturbing after the recent change in Paul's life. Furthermore, Paul's low economic status makes him feel hopeless and worthless, having difficulty supporting his daily needs. All of these factors can cause psychosocial distress for Paul. Nutritional Assessment Nutritional history may be requested to assess the patient's nutritional status. A 24-hour dietary recall is one method of evaluating foods and drinks consumed the previous day. During the recall, the patient is asked to recall in detail all foods and drinks consumed in the last 24 hours. The open-ended question is designed to obtain a complete and detailed dietary recall, which may include food type, source, preparation method, portion size (Diet Assessment Primer, 2019). The.