Taking a history and performing a physical assessment on children differs from that on adults and has its own set of obstacles. A parent or guardian often reports symptoms and may be unable to adequately transfer and explain the child’s complaints to the examiner (“Pediatrics,” 2021). To fill the gaps, a nurse should have strong communication skills with children and their families. It is critical to consider pediatric growth and development issues and be aware that many diseases appear differently in children than adults. The similarity is that obtaining medical history for adults and children is required. Nevertheless, in addition to the elements of general medical history and particular patient details, the source of information and communication must be considered while conducting a pediatric medical history (“Pediatrics,” 2021). Prenatal and birth and developmental history, immunization, and supplementary social history are examples of additional patient details needed. In terms of communication, the presence of a parent or guardian often makes collecting a child’s history easier (Walker, 2018). Nurses should always begin the physical assessment with a casual conversation to create rapport with the child, parents, or guardians.
Before addressing the present health condition, it is critical to begin the medical component of the interview with a social background. The following stage is to monitor parent-child interaction and look for symptoms of possible child neglect or mistreatment (Falkner, 2018). Moreover, nurses should remember that most children exhibit stranger anxiety in their early childhood when doing physical assessments on newborns and young children aged 1 to 6 years old (“Pediatrics,” 2021). Therefore, one of the tactics for encouraging involvement and maximizing collaboration is to create a light atmosphere during the physical exam. It is critical to describe the following stages, such as how a nurse would examine the kid’s ears rather than asking for permission, as the youngster may reply negatively (“Pediatrics,” 2021). Toys at the office can help distract kids, and nurses can give out affordable presents after the session to help build rapport.
To conclude, it is necessary to perform physical assessment procedures that are likely to make the patient uncomfortable and reduce cooperation, such as an ear examination, at the end of the physical exam. When working with young children, it is frequently beneficial to demonstrate that the actions will not damage the kid and so promote cooperation. Significantly, the physical examination of older children and adolescents from 7 to 17 years is similar to that of adults.
References
Pediatrics: History and physical examination. (2021).
Falkner, A. (2018). Age-appropriate approach to pediatric health care assessment. Health assessment: Foundations for effective practice.
Walker, A. (2018).Four major differences between pediatrics and adults’ nurses. Nurse.org.