Discuss the Use of an Assessment Tool When Caring for a Child and Their Family

interpretation 1 wrangle the use of an sound judgment tool when caring for a child and their family In the following commentary I am going to reflect upon what I have knowing about conducting the recent innate(p) itch assessment regularly carried out on the neonatal unit. To write about the forward-looking born itch assessment it is important to understand what assessments ar, why assessments are important and how this business officeicular assessment is an essential part of nursing. Assessment forms the first part of any nursing activity and is the first measuring stick in the nursing wreak.Without a comprehensive assessment of the child and familys needs, care tushnot be planned, delivered or evaluated effectively. (Great Ormond avenue hospital 2012). Examination of a new born baby allows nurses to assess and monitor a new born cockers condition and promptly identify any abnormalities in align to treat and bankrupt appropriate care as early as possible. It is a n important part of boilersuit care alter to the plunders wellbeing and survival (NNF Teaching Aids immature sell 2010).Over the time I have spent so far on the neonatal unit I have learned about the physical assessment of new born babies and postdated the trained stave carrying out these assessments twenty-four hour breaker point to sidereal mean solar day. The assessment of a new born infant involves the pinching of several aspects of the babys anatomy the point (the control centre for all organs), the Heart (pumps the 80mls of blood around the babys eubstance), the Lungs (provides o2 for the bodys organs and muscles), and the Kidneys and Liver (filters toxins out the body to be excreted). These vital organs are the detect to the babys survival in life.To begin to asses these organs is by examining the scrape as this is the easiest organ to facet and the testing is non-invasive so therefore should not distress the baby. The skin deal be a key indicator of if somet hing is wrong. The nurses and I looked at the colouring, the texture, the nails, and looked closely for any presence of rashes. The skin regulates body temperature (Ross and Wilson 2010) therefore monitor a babys temperature is an important part of caring for a baby. The skin is also the babys first stage of protection from infection forming a barrier betwixt its self the outback(a) environment.The head is another important indicator of what is going on within the baby. We examined the weak part as this bay window swell or sink to show signs of dehydration or Hydrocephalus. A alter mouth can also be an indication of Dehydration. During birth the babys head can change plaster bandage due to the sutures in the skull (as seen in the diagram, Nucleusinc 2010) therefore it was important for us as nurses to check the sutures and the overall forge of the head and look for any bruising or swelling caused by wound to the skull during birth.It was important to observe and record the b abys activity eg Agitated, Alert, Active as this will forms the baseline for further assessments of the baby and could help identify any neurological abnormalities. The next stage of the physical interrogatory was the eyes. A dirt of the whites of the eyes could be an early indication of Jaundice and be a ideal to start treatment. consummate(a) or bloodshot eyes could indicate a raised intracranial thrust or raised a blood pressure.Pre-term babies are often on o2 therefore checking the lung function, the patency of the air duct and the o2 delivery manner is important in order to maintain o2 saturations above 95%. Having conducted the physical assessment of the baby the digestive system needed to be assessed. This was done by a physical examination of the abdomen and by looking at the method of feeding (Breast, Bottle, NG Tube, OG Tube, JJ Tube, or PEG) and the amount of take out to be administered (amount per day ml/kg/day times babys weight divided by the outlet of feed s to give in 24 hours).The Neonatal Units policy is for the preterm baby is to start them on 60ml/kg/day +30ml per day up to 150ml and for the term baby to give 40ml/kg/day + 20ml per day up to 150ml. After this the doctors take over calculating feed volumes. These feeds are indeed recorded on a feeding chart and totaled at the end of every 24 hour period to monitor fluid intake. The sign assessment of a new born infant is a composite process but is vital in providing the best possible care for the baby.The initial assessment acts as a baseline for further care to be compared with. Without an assessment important schooling and signs may be missed with awful consequences. Although I have observed and assisted with the assessment process I do not yet feel comfortable performing this assessment on my induce as I feel I have a lot more to learn so as I dont miss something or disregard any of my findings as insignificant. References capital of Massachusetts Childrens Hospital (n. d. Assessments for newborn infant babies. online Available at http//www. childrenshospital. org/az/Site600/mainpageS600P1. html Accessed 22/07/2012. Healthy Babies (1997) Guide for Newborn Physical Assessment, antecedent Guidance and Health Teaching. Vermont Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting treat Standards and Competencies. Macqueen, S. et al. (2012) The Great Ormond Street Hospital Manual of Childrens Nursing Practices. Chichester Blackwell Publishing Ltd, p. 2. NNF Teaching Aids Newborn caveat (2010) Examination of a newborn baby. online Available at http//www. newbornwhocc. org/pdf/teaching-aids/2010/Examinationofanewbornbaby-ENC6. pdf Accessed 22/07/2012. Nucleusinc (2010) Skull sutures in infants and fetuses. online Available at http//www. nucleusinc. com Accessed 22/07/2012. Waugh, A. and Grant, A. (2010) Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. 11th ed. Churchill Livingstone, p. 354-358. Discuss the Use of an Assessment Tool When Caring for a Child and Their FamilyCommentary 1 Discuss the use of an assessment tool when caring for a child and their family In the following commentary I am going to reflect upon what I have learned about conducting the new born baby assessment regularly carried out on the neonatal unit. To write about the new born baby assessment it is important to understand what assessments are, why assessments are important and how this particular assessment is an essential part of nursing. Assessment forms the first part of any nursing activity and is the first step in the nursing process.Without a comprehensive assessment of the child and familys needs, care cannot be planned, delivered or evaluated effectively. (Great Ormond Street Hospital 2012). Examination of a new born infant allows nurses to assess and monitor a new born babys condition and promptly identify any abnormalities in order to treat and give appropriate care as early as possible. It is an important part of overall care contributing to the babys wellbeing and survival (NNF Teaching Aids Newborn Care 2010).Over the time I have spent so far on the neonatal unit I have learned about the physical assessment of new born babies and observed the trained staff carrying out these assessments day to day. The assessment of a new born infant involves the checking of several aspects of the babys anatomy the Brain (the control centre for all organs), the Heart (pumps the 80mls of blood around the babys body), the Lungs (provides o2 for the bodys organs and muscles), and the Kidneys and Liver (filters toxins out the body to be excreted). These vital organs are the key to the babys survival in life.To begin to asses these organs is by examining the skin as this is the easiest organ to view and the examination is non-invasive so therefore should not distress the baby. The skin can be a key indicator of if something is wrong. The nurses and I looked at the colouring, the texture, the nails, and looked closely for any presence of r ashes. The skin regulates body temperature (Ross and Wilson 2010) therefore monitoring a babys temperature is an important part of caring for a baby. The skin is also the babys first stage of protection from infection forming a barrier between its self the outside environment.The head is another important indicator of what is going on within the baby. We examined the fontanel as this can swell or sink to show signs of dehydration or Hydrocephalus. A dry mouth can also be an indication of Dehydration. During birth the babys head can change shape due to the sutures in the skull (as seen in the diagram, Nucleusinc 2010) therefore it was important for us as nurses to check the sutures and the overall shape of the head and look for any bruising or swelling caused by trauma to the skull during birth.It was important to observe and record the babys activity eg Agitated, Alert, Active as this will forms the baseline for further assessments of the baby and could help identify any neurologica l abnormalities. The next stage of the physical examination was the eyes. A discolouration of the whites of the eyes could be an early indication of Jaundice and be a warning to start treatment. Staring or bloodshot eyes could indicate a raised intracranial pressure or raised a blood pressure.Pre-term babies are often on o2 therefore checking the lung function, the patency of the airway and the o2 delivery method is important in order to maintain o2 saturations above 95%. Having conducted the physical assessment of the baby the digestive system needed to be assessed. This was done by a physical examination of the abdomen and by looking at the method of feeding (Breast, Bottle, NG Tube, OG Tube, JJ Tube, or PEG) and the amount of milk to be administered (amount per day ml/kg/day times babys weight divided by the number of feeds to give in 24 hours).The Neonatal Units policy is for the preterm baby is to start them on 60ml/kg/day +30ml per day up to 150ml and for the term baby to give 40ml/kg/day + 20ml per day up to 150ml. After this the doctors take over calculating feed volumes. These feeds are then recorded on a feeding chart and totaled at the end of every 24 hour period to monitor fluid intake. The initial assessment of a new born infant is a complicated process but is vital in providing the best possible care for the baby.The initial assessment acts as a baseline for further care to be compared with. Without an assessment important information and signs may be missed with awful consequences. Although I have observed and assisted with the assessment process I do not yet feel comfortable performing this assessment on my own as I feel I have a lot more to learn so as I dont miss something or disregard any of my findings as insignificant. References Boston Childrens Hospital (n. d. Assessments for newborn babies. online Available at http//www. childrenshospital. org/az/Site600/mainpageS600P1. html Accessed 22/07/2012. Healthy Babies (1997) Guide for Newborn Physical Assessment, Anticipatory Guidance and Health Teaching. Vermont Maternal and Child Health Home Visiting Nursing Standards and Competencies. Macqueen, S. et al. (2012) The Great Ormond Street Hospital Manual of Childrens Nursing Practices. Chichester Blackwell Publishing Ltd, p. 2. NNF Teaching Aids Newborn Care (2010) Examination of a newborn baby. online Available at http//www. newbornwhocc. org/pdf/teaching-aids/2010/Examinationofanewbornbaby-ENC6. pdf Accessed 22/07/2012. Nucleusinc (2010) Skull sutures in infants and fetuses. online Available at http//www. nucleusinc. com Accessed 22/07/2012. Waugh, A. and Grant, A. (2010) Ross and Wilson Anatomy and Physiology in Health and Illness. 11th ed. Churchill Livingstone, p. 354-358.