Purpose
This week’s graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs).
- CO 1 – Utilize prior knowledge of theories and principles of nursing and related disciplines to explain expected client behaviors, while differentiating between normal findings, variations, and abnormalities. (PO 1)
- CO 4 – Identify teaching/learning needs from the health history of an individual. (PO 2)
Discussion
Access to mental health services is a hot topic in U.S. Healthcare. Do you know what resources are available for clients seeking care in your own community? Select one mental health related condition from the list below. Conduct a web search to identify health care services within your community aimed specifically at addressing this condition.
Choose one:
- Depression
- Suicidal ideation
- Opioid addiction
Answer the following questions in your post:
- When reviewing a client’s health history and physical examination record, what are some findings (subjective and objective) that may indicate a need for further in-depth assessment for the condition you selected above?
- Describe a focused specialty assessment tool you could use to screen the client for this condition.
- What resources did you find in your community that address this issue? What type of services do they provide? Were there specific resources or services you were hoping to locate, and could not? Please explain.
ANSWER:
I chose depression as my subject for this week’s discussion because I believe that with COVID going on right now and job loss, lack of socialization, fear, and stress has led to an increase in depression among all people in the country. I really didn’t realize how common depression was until I started as a nurse. When I get an admission more often that not the patient has a history of depression, so I wanted to do more research on how to help these patients as best as possible. “Depression is a mood disorder characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness, and a loss of interest in activities previously considered enjoyable” (Mennella, eta, 2017). For each admission we complete the suicide and depression screening. If a patient scores… To continue reading, click on the button below.