child health assessment Flashcards
How do you build rapport and trust with a child during a health assessment?
Introduce yourself, use clear/simple language, reassure, involve parents, and do not rush.
Why should you not rush a child’s health assessment?
It allows the child to get familiar and comfortable, leading to better cooperation.
How is a child health assessment typically conducted?
Often done in parts based on the child’s needs and developmental stage.
How should you phrase your questions during an assessment?
Use open-ended and close-ended questions while avoiding compound, expansive, or leading questions.
What is an example of a close-ended question?
“How many times did the child throw up?” or “Has the child been seen for this concern before?”
What is an example of an open-ended question?
“What concerns brought you here today?” or “Please tell me more about the child’s behavior.”
What cultural considerations should be kept in mind?
Eye contact, physical touch, use of silence, politeness (saying “yes” to be polite), and interactions with healthcare providers.
What are the key components of a child’s health history interview?
Introduction, demographic data, chief concern, history of chief concern, health and family profile, current history, past health history, and review of systems.
What details should be gathered about the chief concern?
Duration, intensity, frequency, description, associated symptoms, and actions taken.
What are key principles for conducting a physical assessment?
Ensure privacy, obtain permission, be truthful, clean, and concise, and adjust for developmental stages.
How should you approach an infant’s physical assessment?
Use warm hands/stethoscope, auscultate when quiet/sleeping, do distressing procedures last, involve parents, and use toys/distractions.
How can you reduce anxiety during a preschooler’s exam?
Let them touch/play with equipment, use games, and give positive feedback.
How should you conduct a toddler’s physical assessment?
Keep child close to parents, provide a security object, demonstrate instruments first, allow choices, and examine eyes, ears, and mouth last.
How should you conduct an exam for older children and adolescents?
Ensure privacy, offer choices, explain body parts/functions, decide on parental presence, consider a nonparent chaperone, and reassure normalcy.
What are the four primary techniques used in physical assessment?
Inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.
What does inspection involve in a physical assessment?
Examination using the eyes and nose to observe visual signs or detect odors.
What is palpation, and what does it assess?
Examining by touch to assess texture, vibration, consistency, contour, and warmth. Light palpation is done before deep palpation, and sensitive areas should be palpated last.
What is percussion, and what are its findings?
Assessing via sound produced by striking a body part with a finger. Dense areas sound dull/flat, air-filled areas sound resonant, and stretched/distended areas sound hyperresonant (low-pitched) or tympanic (ringing).
What does auscultation assess?
Listening to sounds in the body, evaluating duration, frequency, intensity, and pitch.
What are the main components of a physical exam?
General appearance, mental status assessment, vital signs, body measurements, body systems review, vision assessment, hearing assessment, speech assessment, developmental appraisal, and immunization review.
What equipment is commonly used in a physical assessment?
Thermometer, stethoscope, tongue depressor, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, sphygmomanometer, tape measure/stadiometer, and scale.
What factors are considered in a general appraisal?
Appearance, behavior, interaction with parents, and interaction with the examiner.
