NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 5 Comprehensive Head-to-Toe Assessment
Student Name Capella University NURS-FPX4015 Pathophysiology, Pharmacology, and Physical Assessment: A Holistic Approach to Patient-Centered Care Prof. Name Date Comprehensive Head-to-Toe Assessment This evaluation provides information about the patient’s health through subjective symptoms, clinical signs, and overall well-being. These additional assessments will look at their blood sugar levels, cardiovascular health, and any changes with their foot health. These evaluations will assist us in assessing the coexistence of diabetes and the body’s functioning in relation to circulation and the nervous system. The purpose of these evaluations is to catch any problems as early as possible and to guide a patient away from potentially harmful patterns and habits into those that will foster health. Together, we will utilize this to write a support care plan that meets the patient’s needs and goals. Comprehensive Head-to-Toe Assessment Hello, I am your nurse today. Since this is a video assessment, I will guide you through each part and ask you to describe or show certain things so I can get a complete picture of your health. You appear alert, oriented, and communicate clearly. I note that you get about 8 hours of sleep nightly. Your recent home vital signs include blood pressure readings around 140/85 mmHg and heart rate in the 78–82 bpm range. Your blood sugar readings have been in the 130–140 mg/dL range, and your last hemoglobin A1C was 8.9%. You have a history of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus. You take metoprolol 50 mg twice daily, atorvastatin 80 mg daily, and gabapentin for neuropathic pain. You also use Tung seed as a herbal supplement. Your mother has a history of alcoholism, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes; your father has hypertension and high cholesterol; paternal grandfather had diabetes with left leg amputation; maternal grandfather had diabetes and was on dialysis. You follow a moderately active lifestyle with 30-minute walks on weekends and consume a mixed diet including canned and fast foods. NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 5 Comprehensive Head-to-Toe Assessment Your eyes seem clear, and your eyelids appear to have a clean appearance, with no sign of jaundice or redness noted. You do not have any blurred vision; however, I do need to evaluate you very closely as you have diabetes, and just because you do not have blurred vision does not mean that I won’t have to perform and assess my assessment closely. The inside of your mouth, including your tongue and inside of your lips, appears slightly dry, which is consistent with your reported increased thirst. You report tingling and burning sensations in both feet, and the visual analog pain scale reports a pain level of 5/10. You did not report any abnormal movement of your arms or legs. Assessment of sensory ability through self-report show that there was decreased sensation to sharp and dull in both feet. You deny any weakness, numbness, and dizziness other than occasional lightheadedness. Your feet and lower legs had no visible open wounds; however, there was slight dryness of the skin. Skin color across your legs and feet was normal, with no cyanosis. Pulses in both the dorsalis pedis and posterior tibial regions can be palpated, yet they were slightly diminished. NURS FPX 4015 Assessment 5 Comprehensive Head-to-Toe Assessment Skin temperature was warm, with a slight temperature decrease noted in your toes relative to your upper leg, which may be a sign of early ischemia (diminished blood flow). No edema was noted. You denied chest pain, palpitations, or shortness of breath. Your heart rate remains regular. You have a past medical history of hypertension and hyperlipidemia, which increases your risk for coronary arteries disease. A stenotic murmur is present at the 4th ICS in your exam, which is previously noted in the charts during your exam, possibly indicating arterial narrowing. Lastly, can you list all the medications you are taking, including both prescribed medications, over-the-counter medications, and herbal supplements, for instance Tung Seed. My priorities through this video assessment are to observe your general appearance, evaluate your neurological function, check circulation in your legs and feet, review your medication regimen, and guide ongoing management for diabetes, heart health, and peripheral neuropathy. Discussion of Diagnosis and Findings Thank you for joining me in this discussion about your assessment. I would like to go over the results, including the implications of all those results for your health. The most relevant results from the assessment and what you described included the tingling, burning, and diminished sensation in both feet, the elevated blood sugar, and your previous history of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. All of these pieces work together to describe what is occurring in your body. Your recent Hemoglobin A1C was 8.9, therefore your blood sugar levels have been elevated for months. Having continuously elevated blood sugars causes damage to small blood/nerve vessels, particularly in the foot area, and can lead to peripheral neuropathy (nerve pain and tingling) (Bodman & Varacallo, 2024). When you showed me your feet through video, I noted you needed additional time to direct light touch in certain areas, and your report of sharp and burning feelings support this diagnosis. In addition, your family history of diabetes, along with your elevated glucose levels further adds to your risk. Your heart and vascular history is also relevant. You take medications for high blood pressure and high cholesterol, which indicate to me need for caution in monitoring your heart and blood vessels. These issues make it more difficult for blood to circulate to the feet and may exacerbate nerve symptoms (Bays, 2021). Putting all of this together, your diagnosis is Type 2 diabetes with peripheral neuropathy. I want you to know this is not your fault; it is a diagnosis that describes your symptoms and allows us to construct a plan to protect your nerves, improve your circulation and to manage your blood sugar. I want to try to be clear without streamlining the process, so please ask me any questions at any point. Understanding of Pharmacological Needs Having discussed your diagnosis