An Introduction to Physical Health Assessment (FutureLearn)

Offered by Coventry University,
An Introduction to Physical Health Assessment (FutureLearn)

Explore the head-to-toe physical assessment process and learn to safely conduct a patient consultation. Explore methods of best practice for patient consultations. The ‘head-to-toe’ assessment is considered one of the best ways to quickly determine a patient’s overall condition. As such, it’s an invaluable nursing skill. You will explore assessment methods on this course. You will be introduced to different patients and follow them through their health journey, considering the conditions they may be suffering from.

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What topics will you cover?

Week 1 – An introduction to the principles of health assessment:

  • consultation and history-taking;
  • critical analysis and decision-making; and
  • documentation in health assessment.

Week 2 – An introduction to physical health assessment:

  • an introduction to the consultation; and
  • head-to-toe examination.

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

  • Compare consultation-models and their application to history-taking in health assessment.
  • Justify the process of physical examination and its documentation.
  • Describe how critical thinking is influenced by diagnostics and investigations.
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