Chapter 1 – Introduction to Health Assessment
Key Takeaways
- Health assessment involves collecting subjective and objective data and must be performed within a nurse’s scope of practice.
- Clinical judgment is an important component of health assessment resulting in the decision whether or not to act/intervene, and if action is required, what action.
- Prioritizing care in nursing is informed by Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, as well as priorities of care (first, second, or third), and should also consider the client’s wishes.
- Guiding approaches to health assessment include types of assessment such as primary survey, focused assessment, abbreviated head-to-toe assessment, and a complete health assessment.
- Health promotion is an integral element of health assessment informed by behavioural, relational, and structural approaches.
