Summary NURS 3320 Amazing Exam 3 Study Guide

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Nursing 3320 – Holistic Health Assessment
Exam 3 Study Guide – Spring 2024

For every chapter be familiar with:
 The specific structure & function of the systems and how it applies to the assessment.
 Subjective data, including abnormal findings.
 Objective data
o Examination across the lifespan
o Age specific findings and exam techniques
o Normal/expected and abnormal findings.
o How to perform the physical assessment for each system.
 Pay attention to my slides as info on my slides could be covered on the exam.

Ch. 15 – Assessing Head & Neck
Structure & Function
 Head
o 8 Cranial bones:
o 14 Facial bones:
 Neck
o Muscles – sternomastoid & trapezius-innervated by cranial nerve XI.
 How do you test?
o Cervical Vertebrae: what vertebrae is a landmark?
o Blood vessels
 Veins:
 Arteries:
o Thyroid gland
 Produces thyroid hormones.
 Purpose of thyroid hormones:
 Lymph Nodes
o Know the names and location of each lymph node.
o Filter bacteria and tumor cells from lymph fluid
o If infection: swell and become painful.
o If malignancy: enlarge but not painful. Also, may be fixed.

Subjective Data: Know questions to ask and rationale.
 Neck pain
o Muscular, cervical, arthritic changes
o Stress, tension.
o Sudden head and neck pain WITH elevated temperature and neck stiffness?
 What test to perform?
o Age Specific: arthritis/osteoporosis = neck pain and decreased ROM

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 Headaches: COLDSPA questions
o KNOW THE DIFFERENCES between different types of headaches.
 Sinus, Cluster, Tension, Migraine, Tumor-related
 Other such as meningitis, hypertension, fever, medication & substance related.
o Headaches related to taking certain medications.
o RED FLAG – severe headache in an adult or child
 Other subjective symptoms and causes
o Difficulty moving head/neck.
o Lumps
o Cough/swallowing.
o Dizzy/lightheaded/blurred vision
o Weakness/numbness
 Past health history
 Family history
o Migraines often have familial association.
o Head and neck cancers can have genetic predisposition.
 Lifestyle factors
o Smoking/Nicotine/Alcohol = increases risk of head and neck cancers
 Symptoms?
o Safety considerations: helmets, recreational activities, posture

Thyroid Disfunction
 Be familiar with Box 15-1
 Signs of HYPOthyroid:
 Signs of HYPERthyroid:

Traumatic Brain Injury
 Risk assessment:
 Client education:

Objective Data: Know procedure/technique & normal vs abnormal
findings.
Head and Face
 Inspect
o Head: size, shape, involuntary movement
o Face: symmetry, movement, expression, skin condition
 Drooping? SYMPTOM OF STROKE
 What else would you assess if you suspect stroke?
 Palpate
o Head: consistency the head for size, shape, and configuration
o TMJ
 How to assess the TMJ:
 Headache history?