Assessing Fall Risk and Reducing Falls in the Elderly More than one in four American adults 65 years of age and older have reported falling and one in five sustain a severe fall-related injury, including fractures and traumatic brain injuries (CDC, 2021). Falls account for 56% of injury-related...

Guide to Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT), also known as vacuum-assisted wound closure (VAC), is a dressing system that continuously or intermittently applies negative pressure across the surface of wounds that are acute, chronic, complex, or...

Head to Toe Assessment Organization is key to a good comprehensive head to toe assessment. A systematic approach will maximize the patient’s comfort, avoid unnecessary position changes, and enhance clinical efficiency. In general, a head-to-toe approach is the...

IV Fluids IV fluids are utilized for resuscitation, to replace fluid losses, and for maintenance hydration in patients who are not able or not allowed to drink water. Like all prescribed medications, IV fluids have benefits and risks. Fluid therapy should...

Neurologic Assessment The neurologic assessment can help to localize neurologic diseases and differentiate between urgent and chronic conditions. It can be challenging to perform a comprehensive neurologic exam especially in infants/young children and in patients with...

Nutritional Assessment The nutritional assessment is often integrated into the health history and physical examination. It provides information about nutritional deficiencies, such as malnutrition, undernutrition, or obesity.Initial Assessment of Nutritional Status...

Pulmonary Assessment Focused pulmonary assessment begins with a thorough health history. While doing so, carefully observe for conversational dyspnea and other symptoms. Order of examination is performed as inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation.Optimal...

The Health History Always document date and time of the encounter.Include the patient’s identifying information including name, age, date of birth, and gender.Identify the source of information, whether it is the patient, a parent or family member, a...

Understanding Different Types of Pain Pain is an uncomfortable signal that something hurts. Pain intensity may vary between mild to unbearable and can significantly impact an individual’s psychosocial, emotional, and physical functioning (National Institute of Health, 2023...

Urinary Incontinence Urinary incontinence is the involuntary leakage of urine significant enough to be considered a problem. It is a very common and undertreated condition affecting up to 60% of adult women (Lukacz, 2024) and up to 34% of men aged 65 and older...