Functional Health Pattern Analysis Worksheet Paper Example

Lists two assessment findings characteristic of each age group and describes two potential problems that a nurse may discover in an assessment of each age group for each pattern.

The pattern of health perception and health management is among the functional health pattern assessments. During this assessment, you will find out that toddlers have established basic health practices such as washing the hands and brushing the teeth. They associate bad feelings with sickness, and therefore parents should be attentive to ensure they are healthy. However, preschoolers can verbally communicate when in pain. Also, they can identify their external body parts and their functions which make them inquisitive(Jones et al., 2012). However, they view their internal body as hollow. On the other hand, school-aged children know various body functions, the importance of health and they are aware when to ask for care. Their view on health and illness is influenced by culture.

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For toddlers, nurses may discover problems such as cavities if their teeth are not well-taken care. Also, they are at high risks of injury due to environmental dangers (Jones et al., 2012). It is evident that health issues are common among children with uneducated parents. Preschoolers might be infected if their immune system is not up to date. Also, school-aged children can copy poor health habits from their parents. They do not care about hygiene and their appearance. Parents should consider various healthcare services for school-aged children since they hurt frequently.

When conducting a nutritional, metabolic pattern assessment, nurses will discover that toddlers can feed themselves using a spoon and can drink from a cup on their own. They can also use other utensils and eat finger foods such as cereal. Preschoolers can be given healthy snacks by parents. They enjoy staying in the kitchen frequently and help in preparing meals. They can also handle simple tasks like cleaning fruits. School-aged children can differentiate between healthy and unhealthy food and should eat a balanced diet(Jones et al., 2012). For toddlers, difficulties in chewing and swallowing are some of the problems you will discover.

Allergies to certain foods can be identified especially when they throw up after feeding. Preschoolers will want to eat junk foods which are unhealthy, and they may perhaps want to eat meals away from home. Obesity and underweight may be evident at this point. For school-aged children, eating food from unknown sources is common and can be unhealthy. Metabolism problems and obesity can be experienced if they skip some meals or eat fast foods.

Compare and contrast identified similarities as well as differences in expected assessment across the childhood age groups.

Passing through all the stages of childhood is a challenging process for a child. As a child changes from a toddler to a preschool-aged child and later to a school-aged child, they experience quite many difficulties that they have to overcome. The main factor that influences the growth and development of a child rely on the environment they live in. For instance, they depend on parents, caregivers or guardians to do almost all primary activities. Behavioral, mental and emotional growth changes are shaped by the culture and religion of the child's family as well as their structure of beliefs and values. When each developmental stage links with health assessment pattern, changes are evident.

Skill development is the main focus in the toddler stage. At this stage, toddlers should be provided with a structure and daily routine that helps in the development of self-discipline as well as their sense of security. Therefore, kids can control themselves and their environments constructively. Playing is the main activity for children in the toddler and pre-school stage. For preschoolers, the growth of socio-emotional skills is the key focus. At this stage, they can identify right or wrong, gender and peer relationships (Bornstein, n.d.).On the other hand, school-aged children use the morals learned to build their wisdom of personal identity.

The key difference in all the stages is the extent of guidance and independence a child requires. Children can create individual personalities besides their parents. They react to every aspect of the environment and become observant. Toddlers and preschoolers should be given proper guidance to instill a sense of self-discipline before they join a school. Good parenting is evident in school children where they demonstrate aspects of respect, responsibility, confidence and high self-esteem.

Summarize how a nurse would handle physical assessments, examinations, education, and communication differently with children vs. adults; considers spirituality and cultural differences.

Nurses should prepare adequately when conducting physical assessments in children. Children should not be handled similarly as adults. A nurse should approach toddlers in a slow and playful manner to create a friendly environment for easy assessment of comprehension skills. He or she should allow a child to hold on to items such as toys. For children who are old enough, a nurse can ask them to pass or collect certain items to assess their knowledge base. A child's alertness can be evaluated by asking questions on daily activities. The nurse should take advantage of the friendly environment during the assessment process to ask the parent a few medical issues and the medical history of the child.

One of the cultures that nurses should learn is that children take similar. Most children are suspicious in the presence of a stranger and what matters is the reaction of the parent. If the parent is confident, the child is likely to cooperate with the nurse. Also, matters on spirituality depend on the belief of the parent. For instance, if parents do not receive treatment for certain diseases due to religious restrictions, he or she determines whether a child should be treated or not since they are not mature enough to understand the dos and don'ts of religion or culture.

References

Bornstein, M. H. (n.d.). Positive Parenting and Positive Development in Children. Handbook of Applied Developmental Science: Promoting Positive Child, Adolescent, and Family Development Through Research, Policies, and Programs, 187-210. doi:10.4135/9781452233642.n9

Jones, D., Duffy, M. E., Flanagan, J., & Foster, F. (2012). Psychometric Evaluation of the Functional Health Pattern Assessment Screening Tool (FHPAST). International Journal of Nursing Knowledge, 23(3), 140-145. doi:10.1111/j.2047-3095.2012.01224.x