This week, you will explore how to assess the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat. Whether dealing with a detached retina, sinusitis, meningitis, or even cough, advanced practice nurses need to know the proper assessment techniques in order to form accurate diagnoses.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
Apply assessment skills to diagnose eye, ear, and throat conditions. Apply concepts, theories, and principles relating to health assessment techniques and diagnoses for the head, neck, eyes, ears, nose, and throat
1. Read the Syllabus- You can find it under the “Syllabus” tab.
2. Readings- Read the week 5 -course material.
3. Late Policy: Students are expected to submit assignments by the due dates noted in the course. In extenuating circumstances, such as illness, the student must contact the Instructor as soon as possible to discuss the situation. In those circumstances, the faculty will determine the appropriate course of action for the student. Depending on the situation, these actions may include recommendations to drop the course (if within the University drop/withdrawal period), acceptance of some or all of the overdue assignments with or without penalties, or failure to accept assignments.
Assignments submitted late without the prior agreement of the Instructor, outside of an emergency absence, or in violation of agreements for late submission, will receive a grade reduction for the assignment amounting up to 20%. After 5 days, the assignment will not be graded. Students should be aware that late assignments may not receive the same level of written feedback as do assignments submitted on time.
Due this week:
Assignment 1: Case Study Assignment: Assessing the Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
CASE STUDY 1: Focused Throat Exam.
Lily is a 20-year-old student at the local community college. When some of her friends and classmates told her about an outbreak of flu-like symptoms sweeping her campus during the past 2 weeks, Lily figured she shouldn’t take her 3-day sore throat lightly. Your clinic has treated a few cases similar to Lily’s. All the patients reported decreased appetite, headaches, and pain with swallowing. As Lily recounts these symptoms to you, you notice that she has a runny nose and a slight hoarseness in her voice but doesn’t sound congested.
Tifane Chambers
Tamica Dale
Jennifer DeHart
georgette edwards
Melissa Ferrell
Mindi Gaines
Erica Henderson
Sylvia Mise
Ada Offor
Jinky Shaw
Asha Thomas
Presley Tollison
CASE STUDY 2: Focused Nose Exam
Richard is a 50-year-old male with nasal congestion, sneezing, rhinorrhea, and postnasal drainage. Richard has struggled with an itchy nose, eyes, palate, and ears for 5 days. As you check his ears and throat for redness and inflammation, you notice him touch his fingers to the bridge of his nose to press and rub there. He says he’s taken Mucinex OTC the past 2 nights to help him breathe while he sleeps. When you ask if the Mucinex has helped at all, he sneers slightly and gestures that the improvement is only minimal. Richard is alert and oriented. He has pale, boggy nasal mucosa with clear thin secretions and enlarged nasal turbinates, which obstruct airway flow but his lungs are clear. His tonsils are not enlarged but his throat is mildly erythematous.
IHEANYI AMANWANNE
Limata Amoussa Madjibi
Marjorie Andre
Myriame Antoine
Jalili Arabi-Razik
MARIE CRISTINE BANDALA
STELLA BEDIAKO
Linda Belzinor
Patrishia Bogan
Brigitte Boll
Raven Brown
Assignment 1: Case Study Assignment: Assessing the Head, Eyes, Ears, Nose, and Throat
To Prepare
- By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned to a specific case study for this Case Study Assignment. Please see the “Course Announcements” section of the classroom for your assignment from your Instructor.
- Also, your Case Study Assignment should be in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format rather than the traditional narrative style format. Refer to Chapter 2 of the Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5 Learning Resources for guidance. Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP Notes have specific data included in every patient case.
With regard to the case study you were assigned:
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide.
- Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient.
- Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition. How would the results be used to make a diagnosis?
- Identify at least five possible conditions that may be considered in a differential diagnosis for the patient.
The Assignment
Use the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template and create an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in the Week 5 resources. Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case. List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis and justify why you selected each.
