Question

Mr Smith a 57 year old patient present at a health maintenane and promotion he states he goes to the physician only when he is sick. what assessment eill the nurse need to make to design a teaching plan for him

Answer 1

An individual should do medical checkups and follow ups at regular periods for early detection of diseases and to prevent sudden complications that would harm the health . In this case the patient is 57 years old and he goes to the physician only when he is sick . This is not a healthy behaviour .Even though we are not sick we should conduct a medical checkup regularly half yearly or a once a year according to the feasibility because waiting for symptoms might take time and actions needs to be taken at appropriate time to recover from the disease completely. Sometimes people wait till the disease progresses or when the serious stage has come, people will reach out to the doctor when nothing can be done.The assessment that the nurse needs to make to design a teaching plan for him is about the patients knowledge and perspective about health , health promotion , and prevention of disease . This would help her to make a teaching plan based on his needs which is appropriate for him to understand and follow .