An Introduction to Physical Health Assessment
Explore the head-to-toe physical assessment process and learn to safely conduct a patient consultation.
Duration
2 weeksWeekly study
6 hours
An Introduction to Physical Health Assessment
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.
You’ll be guided through the clues you gather – working through a sample head-to-toe assessment to learn best practice diagnosis outcomes for your patients.
What topics will you cover?
Week 1 – An introduction to the principles of health assessment
- Consultation and history taking
- Critical analysis and decision-making
- Documentation in health assessment
Week 2 – An introduction to physical health assessment
- An introduction to the consultation
- The head-to-toe examination
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
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
Who is the course for?
This course would suit any experienced nurse who wishes to explore methods of best practice for patient consultations.
Please note that the individuals detailed in the ‘Who will you learn with?’ section below, are current staff members and may be subject to change.
Who will you learn with?
Specialising in emergency care, Nicky Parker-Summers has 35 years clinical experience, including military nursing. She came to education in 2003, becoming an Assistant Professor in 2016.
With over 20 years experience, working nationally and internationally, within Acute and Emergency care, Claire has developed her own skills and experience to share knowledge and improve patient care.
Who developed the course?
Coventry University
Coventry secured 5 QS Stars for Teaching and Online Learning in the QS World University Ranking 2020 and has received No. 1 in the world for Massive Open Online Courses in MoocLab’s World University Ranking 2021.
Established
1992Location
Coventry
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Explore the aspects of a consultation and the skills required to assess the health of a patient.