2) Height And Weight Flashcards
Why are height and weight important measures?
- Reflect general level of health
- Routine for health screenings and clinical visits
- Assess growth/development in infants and children
- Help identify nutritional issues in older adults
Why monitor trends in height and weight?
- Changes can indicate health problems
- Downward trend in frail elderly signals reduced nutritional reserves
What should be assessed regarding weight changes?
- Ask patient about current height and weight
- Assess for recent gains or losses
- Weight gain of 2.3 kg in a day indicates fluid retention
- Loss of >5% in 1 month or >10% in 6 months is significant
What helps explain weight changes?
- Nursing history can identify possible causes
What is the purpose of BMI tables?
- Help determine normal expected weight range for a patient’s height
- Locate intersection of height and weight to find BMI
- Assess health risk using BMI categories
How is waist circumference used with BMI for adults?
- Measures health risk associated with obesity
- Measured midway between costal margin and iliac crest
- Taken at end of expiration, snug but not compressing tissue
Why is consistent weighing technique important?
- Allows objective comparison of weights over time
- Providers base decisions on weight changes (dosing, lifts, positioning)
- Should be same time, scale, and clothing each time
What are advantages of electronic scales?
- Most reliable and commonly used
- Automatically calibrated each use
- Display weight digitally within seconds
How are weights obtained for non-ambulatory patients?
- Stretcher/chair scales with hydraulic lift measure weight
- Patient transferred onto scale, lifted above bed
- Weight shown on balance beam or digital display
What are proper techniques for weighing infants?
- Use baskets or platform scales
- Remove clothing, weigh in dry diaper (adjust for diaper weight)
- Keep room warm, use cloth/paper on scale to prevent contamination
- Hold hand above to prevent falls
- Measure in grams
What should be assessed about weight changes?
- Total weight lost or gained
- Compare to usual weight
- Note if loss was gradual, sudden, desired or undesired
- Determines severity and if related to disease, eating pattern, or pregnancy
For desired weight loss, what should be asked?
- Eating habits
- Diet plan followed
- Food preparation
- Calorie intake
- Appetite
- Exercise pattern
- Support group participation
- Weight goal
For undesired weight loss, what should be asked?
- Anorexia
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Thirst
- Frequent urination
- Changes in lifestyle, activity, stress, alcohol intake
- Focuses on conditions causing weight loss like GI issues
What social/lifestyle factors should be assessed?
- More restaurant meals
- Rushing to eat meals
- Stress at work
- Skipping meals
- Lifestyle changes can contribute to weight changes
What medications should be assessed for weight changes?
- Chemotherapy, diuretics, insulin, fluoxetine, appetite suppressants, laxatives, oral hypoglycemics, herbal supplements (weight loss)
- Steroids, oral contraceptives, antidepressants, insulin (weight gain)
- Medication side effects
What eating disorder symptoms should be assessed?
- Preoccupation with weight/body shape
- Never feeling thin enough
- Unusually strict calorie intake
- Laxative abuse
- Induced vomiting
- Amenorrhea
- Excessive exercise
How do you measure the height of weight-bearing patients?
- Have patient remove shoes
- Use a measuring stick/tape attached vertically to scale or wall
- Have patient stand erect
- Use metal rod on scale that swings over patient’s head
- If no scale, place stick/book on head and measure at 90-degree angle
How do you measure the height of non-weight-bearing patients like infants?
- Remove shoes and position patient supine on firm surface
- Use portable device with headboard and footboard
- Have parent hold infant’s head against headboard
- Straighten infant’s legs and place footboard at feet
- Record length to nearest 0.5 cm
What does the integumentary system consist of?
- Skin
- Hair
- Scalp
- Nails
Why is developing a routine approach to physical assessment important?
- Helps ensure completeness of the examination
What are two approaches to assessing the skin?
- Inspect all skin surfaces first
- Gradually inspect skin while examining other body systems
What skills should be used to assess the integument?
- Inspection
- Palpation
- Olfaction
What does skin assessment reveal?
- Changes in oxygenation
- Changes in circulation
- Changes in nutrition
- Local tissue damage
- Hydration status
Which patients are at high risk for skin lesions in hospitals?
- Older persons
- Debilitated patients
- Seriously ill young patients
- Neurologically impaired
- Chronically ill
- Orthopedic patients