Health Assessment for Nursing Practice

Straightforward, easy-to-understand, need-to-know coverage gives readers the knowledge and confidence to perform an effective health assessment and physical examination. Clear differentiation between basic skills and advanced skills helps readers differentiate need-to-know skills from skills that would be performed by an advanced practitioner or only in special circumstances. Time-tested two-column format helps link assessment techniques with normal and abnormal findings. Vivid full-color photos and illustrations visually demonstrate key assessment techniques to facilitate better understanding. UNIQUE! Concept Overview boxes present core concepts in the context of health assessment, with discussions of pain, oxygenation, perfusion, tissue integrity, motion, sensory perception, nutrition, metabolism, and intracranial regulation. UNIQUE! Clinical Reasoning boxes explain the thought process of an experienced nurse making a clinical decision, to help readers gain an expert perspective on clinical judgment and the decision-making process in nursing practice. UNIQUE! Patients with Situational Variations sections address special circumstances or needs for patients in wheelchairs or other limitations and exam variations. Documenting Expected Findings sections demonstrate how to chart normal findings, including documentation in the Electronic Heath Record (EHR). Review questions help assess the reader's understanding of need-to-know content. UNIQUE! Case studies at the end of each chapter give readers practice in developing clinical reasoning skills in the context of health assessment and physical examination. UNIQUE! Adapting Health Assessment to the Hospitalized Patient chapter explains special techniques for performing a head-to-toe assessment of a patient in a hospital setting. Ethnic, Cultural, and Spiritual Variations boxes help readers anticipate the unique needs of a multicultural patient population. Health Assessment Across the Life Span unit contains four separate chapters that cover all lifespan content, including older adults, pregnant patients, and infants, children, and adolescents. Synthesis and Application of Health Assessment unit details how to conduct, document, and adapt the head-to-toe examination. Updated throughout to reflect the latest research and thinking in health assessment in nursing practice. NGN Health Assessment Questions added to each chapter.