Introduction
If we talk about the spheres of healthcare and nursing, the specialist needs to know the methods and approaches used during physical assessment and possess proper observation skills (Dugan, 2016). The extended knowledge in the sphere connected to assessment methods for neurological and musculoskeletal systems are significant because proper examination remains one of the factors that significantly increase the chances of addressing the client’s problem as soon as possible.
Neurological system assessment process
As for the methods and techniques listed in the prompt that we are supposed to discuss, I suppose that they may be really helpful and they allow us to simplify the process of assessment related to these two systems. There is no doubt that the neurological system has a complex structure; due to that, the specialist should pay attention to many physical signs to define if there are certain urgent or hidden problems. For instance, there are a lot of cranial nerves that help to perform different functions such as motor and sensory ones. It is quite difficult to conduct a proper neurological assessment if there is no clear strategy. According to the approach proposed in the prompt, it is necessary to assess different areas related to the neurologic system one by one. At the beginning of the work, the specialists are recommended to analyze the client’s mental status related to the ability to have positive and negative emotions and perform higher cerebral functions (Jarvis, 2016, p. 67). Therefore, it is necessary to assess the client’s verbal abilities, present emotional state, the way to perceive the reality, and other aspects. To simplify the process even more and avoid taking unnecessary actions, it is recommended to assess certain senses together with the particular organs to make the examination process more effective. I suppose it to be a good decision because it is essential to pay more attention to certain areas that the client claims to have problems with; defining the most important points of assessment, it is possible to save time that can be important if there are real health issues.
Speaking about the assessment of the musculoskeletal system, it is necessary to conduct a visual examination of muscles and assess the way they move. Apart from that, it is important to conclude whether the patient can control all the movements of the body. I suppose that these measures help to simplify the process of physical assessment as they focus on studying the primary components of these two systems of the human body.
As for the particular measures that I will use to improve my performance in the future, I suppose that almost all of the recommendations can be helpful for the practitioner. For example, I believe that it will be very important to assess the client’s mood and thoughts because problems in these areas should not be underestimated. It sometimes happens that specialists do not pay enough attention to assessing the content of the clients’ thoughts but I suppose it to be as significant as superficial analysis of the person’s awareness because it allows us to identify problems that maybe not obvious at all. Also, I will focus more on the consistency of the person’s thoughts due to the same reason. The measures that I am not going to use in my practice will depend upon the particular situation of the client; for instance, if the client has certain problems such as muscle pain, it is unnecessary to conduct certain assessments as they may cause even more violent pain.
Conclusion
In the end, there is a wide range of measures that can be used to assess neurologic and musculoskeletal systems and simplify the process but these measures should be chosen about the particular situation and the patient’s complaints.
References
Dugan, M. (2016). Improving physical assessment observational skills in the community setting: An experiential exercise. Creative Nursing, 22(1), 24-28.
Jarvis, C. (2016). Physical examination & health assessment (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders.