Fundamental Health Assessment for adults

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Explain common approaches that nurses may use to assess fundamental care needs and monitor peoples’ health status.
• Describe how to gather information from people using appropriate and compassionate communication techniques to identify health and wellbeing needs.
• Describe a holistic assessment, including consideration of risk, people’s bio-psychosocial needs and health behaviors.
• Explain the components of a basic mental health and cognitive health assessment and appropriately respond to identified needs.
• Explain the components of a structured assessment through basic knowledge of anatomy, and physiology, and identify normal and abnormal findings.

Structured Holistic Assessment: In this theme, students will gain an in-depth overview of the communication and assessment skills frameworks that underpin fundamental person centred assessment. They will also gain an understanding of health behaviors, alongside basic mental health screening in terms of someone’s psychological and social functioning to be able to build a compassionate and holistic understanding of their holistic needs. Students will also be introduced to documentation relevant to fundamental assessment. Physical Health Assessment: In this theme, students will gain the underpinning theoretical and practical knowledge of a comprehensive fundamental assessment of body systems using an A to E approach. This will include developing knowledge around anatomy and physiology and in particular surface anatomy relating to all bodily systems, including being able to recognize differences that might occur across the life span, and across different genders and ethnicities. Students will be introduced to vital signs, as part of a comprehensive fundamental assessment, alongside standardized early warning systems such as modified early warning systems, fluid balance charts, and other relevant clinical documentation. Assessment and management of fundamental care needs: In this theme, students will be introduced to how nurses assess, plan and deliver care to meet fundamental care needs (for example, dignity, safety, comfort and pain management, infection prevention and control, skin integrity and pressure area care, nutrition, hydration, elimination, mobility, hygiene, oral care, etc.), blood values including blood sugar levels, urinary changes (color, turdidity, ketones, smell, nitrates, frequency, urgency, volume, incontinence), digestive changes (weight loss/gain, diet, swallowing, vomiting, stools, constipation etc.), and skin (pressure areas, inflammation, infection, and wound healing).

This module will be taught using a variety of learning and teaching approaches including: • Lectures • Seminars • Guided independent study

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Oral presentation

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback:
• Final Assessment:
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.