HEALTH ASSESSMENT

[Health Assessment] Respiratory Examination In Acute And Critical Care

[Health Assessment] Respiratory Examination In Acute And Critical Care

Introduction

Intensive care unit (ICU) is a department within a health care organization in which the intensive treatment and intensive care is given to the patients who have critical health condition and who are surviving for the life and there is a need to closely monitor the health condition of the patient (Stenrose, 2009, pp.46). The life of the patients in intensive care unit is supported by the equipments and medications so that the bodies of patients keep functioning in normal way (Williams, L., 2008, pp. 26). It is the responsibility of the nurses and the health care providers to deal effectively with the medications and the life supporting equipments so as to ensure the protection of life of the critically ill patients. Nurses are required to have a specialized knowledge, good assessment and management skills to safely deal with the challenges of meeting the complex need of critically ill Patient (Marino, P. L., 2007, pp. 775). There are various comprehensive health assessment practices that are carried out by the nurses. The respiratory assessment is also a part of the comprehensive assessment that ensures that the critically ill patient is having proper supported respiration system. According to Robert, L. W., James, R. D. (2009, pp.89), the respiratory assessment is an essential responsibility of the nurses and it is the major part of their roles in the intensive care unit.

The worse functioning of the patient's respiratory system is one of the factors that cause critical illness and this is the factor that negatively affects the recovery of the ill patients. According to Moore, T. (2007), the respiratory system disorder is the most common reason for the admission of patients to the critical care units in the UK. The author has mentioned that anecdotal evidence believes that the assessment of the patient's respiratory function, undertaken by the nurses, is not performed effectively because of the reason that assessment of the respiratory function is not considered as an essential factor in the health care of the patient. Such negligence results in the overestimating and sometimes in underestimating of the respiratory dysfunction (Kennedy, S., 2007, pp. 45). Based on the research study, the author has suggested that the nurses should have the skills to recognize and assess the symptoms of respiratory dysfunction so that the effective care measures can be taken in time and thus the health outcome of the patient can be improved.

I have chosen to explore the detailed process of respiratory assessment utilized within the ICU environment. This essay will point out the importance of the nurse's knowledge and skills in the area of respiratory assessment. It will also be highlighted that what respiratory assessment tools can b used by the nurses to have positive impact upon the health outcomes of the patients. Various forms of knowledge that can be used by the nurses to carry out a systematic approach in the assessment of a patient ...