Assessment of the child - Essay Example

Assessment of the child Introduction This paper involves exploration of potential and actual health challenges in the childhood years employing Ericksons Stages of Child Development and a practical health assessment. (Shaffer & Kipp, 2010).Childrens Functional Health Pattern AssessmentFunctional Health Pattern Assessment(FHP)0–2 years childErickson’s Developmental Stage:Basic Trust vs. Mistrust2–4 yearsErickson’s DevelopmentalStage:Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt4–5 yearsErickson’s DevelopmentalStage:Initiative vs.

Guilt (Weber, 2009).Perception and Health assessmentList of two normal assessment findingsChild cries to send a message- feeling sick, hungry or in distress.Child trust the mother than any other person and would cry to show mistrustCan speak though unable to give accurate feeling (if in distress would say they are sick)Able to handle basic toiletry with parental supervisionAble to acknowledge and differentiate pain. At this age child is curious of their bodies parts and functionsList of two potential problems (Weber, 2009).

It is a challenge to know the reason for crying unless body temperature indicates traces of sickness.Lack of parental knowledge and no health history may worsen health condition of an infantProne to risks due to their active nature of explorationCuriosity concerning their body changes and identificationProne to learning and getting poor influence from older people and caregiversProne to unintentional injuries, frequent illness and poor health maintenance if caregivers are carelessContrast and comparisonThe similarity that is obvious from child development stages is that both stages face a lot of challenges and these challenges can efficiently or inefficiently addressed by the caregivers.

The difference is that each successive stage matures to understand their bodies well thus is to diagnose in case of health assessment process. Summarizes How a Nurse Would Handle Physical AssessmentsThe nurse depends on the caregiver to provide medical history of the child. This poses a challenge unlike when dealing with an adult patient. For a nurse, the examination, assessment and dealings with a child patient present its own set of predicaments and require a diverse strategy from that of an adult.

In case of child assessment and handlings, the nurse depends on the caregiver to provide necessary support and care for the child. This is different from the case where the nurse deals with adult (Dillon, 2007). During examination for the child, the nurse, has to interview both the child and the caregiver. The nurse has to deal with verbal and non-verbal communication barriers during child examination. Different community has different cultures and the nurse must be cognizant of that when examining adults and even children.

Both parties must feel comfortable during the examination process. This is the responsibility of the nurse to create a sound environment during the assessment process (Dillon, 2007). ConclusionDevelopment process is gradual and healthcare providers capable to handle different stages of growth. Development process faces different challenges. During assessment nurses must be away of cultural and spiritual convictions of patients. ReferencesDillon, P. M. (2007). Nursing Health Assessment. Philadelphia: F. A. Davis Company.

Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental psychology: Childhood and adolescence. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.Weber, J. (2009). Nurses handbook of health assessment. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.