Throughout your clinical career, physical assessments will be integral in crystallising a naturopathic diagnosis and directing care. Many assessments seem mundane (the expert clinician will often appraise their patients subconsciously), but done correctly and with cognisance they can reveal hidden pathology that is often missed by those who skip them . Take Blood Pressure (BP), for instance. It is one of the cardinal vital signs along with pulse, respirations and temperature, but how often do we repeat these measurement in our patients? But let's not stop at the usual medical assessments. What about patients' posture, symmetry, vitality, fingernails, eyes, hair, gait, thyroid palpation...and how much can we attend to all these assessments when consulting remotely? Today Katie Barron takes us through how critical these and other physical assessments can be in choosing the correct course of action and cementing your place as a responsible healthcare professional, not the least of which is referral to appropriate medical care when necessary. Katie is masterful at being present with her patients and she demands excellence in those she tutors.
REFERENCES
Katie Barron- Free Stuff for Pracs
Katie Barron- Mini-Trainings
Katie Barron's Full course (Contact Katie for Discount)
Aetiological Sieve Mnemonic:
See("C") That Italian Vase Now Has Many New Dried Peas In It
(Stands for the initials: C, T, I, V, N, H, M, N, D, P, I, I.)
Possible causes: Congenital, Trauna, Inflammation (Infection or Autoimmune), Vascular, Neoplastic, Hormonal, Musculoskeletal, Nutritional, Drugs, Psychiatric, Idiopathic, Idiosyncratic.
Rehman R, et al. Blood Pressure Measurement. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. [Updated 2022 Dec 28] (Accessed 2023 Feb 22).
Sapra A, et al. Vital Sign Assessment. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2023 Jan-. [Updated 2023 May 1] (Accessed 2023 Feb 22).
Belleza M. Head-to-Toe Assessment: Complete Physical Assessment Guide. Fundamentals of Nursing. NurseLabs. [Updated 2023 Jul 2] (Accessed 2023 Mar 01).
The Stanford Medicine 25. Stanford Medicine. Stanford University. (Accessed 2023 Mar 01).
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