Gastrointestinal Assessment

Superior Essays
CONCEPT 7: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF NURSING HISTORY AS PART OF GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT ASSESSMENT.
This concept is taken from Block 4, Module 8 which is entitled as ‘Assessment of gastrointestinal system’.
The digestive system is made up of organs that function together to transform food substances to energy and nutrients that are needed in the body. The digestive system is made up of the alimentary canal which include the mouth or oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestines, and large intestines including the accessory organs of digestion which involve the teeth, tongue, salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and the pancreas. The alimentary canal and the accessory organs perform the following functions which include; ingestion, secretion,
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It is an assessment tool used by nurses in different health care settings. Nursing history in gastrointestinal assessment involves monitoring patients’ feeding pattern which include the number of times he eats in a day, any restrictions to some diets, changes in appetite, tolerance to some foods, medications used etc. this will guide the nurse in making decisions about the patient’s health. The nurse should obtain information on patient’s bowel habit which include change in stool color, consistency, odor, frequency etc. this will enable the nurse to find out any abnormality. The nurse also asks the patient to describe the symptoms of that he/she has e.g. belching, heart burn, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain etc. this will guide the nurse in making diagnosis and planning care for the patient. With nursing history in gastrointestinal assessment, the problems are easier to detect and appropriate actions are taken to solve these problems. By so doing, the health needs of the patients will be …show more content…
The urinary system is also known as the renal system. It removes urine which comprises of wastes and excess fluid. The urinary system is made up of some structures that work together in other to produce and excrete urine. These structures include 2 kidneys, 2 ureters, 1 bladder and urethra. The urinary system takes great part in maintaining homeostasis of fluid and electrolyte concentration in the body.
8.1 Personal context
The urinary system plays an important part in maintaining the normal body fluids and electrolyte concentration. It produces and excretes urine. The quantity of urine produced can be affected by several factors that include; age, fluid consumption, certain foods, medical conditions, medications etc. The renal functioning can be disrupted by diseases or disorders which include heart diseases, glomerulonephritis, urinary tract infections, congenital kidney problems, overuse of some medications, diabetes etc. These disorders lead to improper functioning of urinary system which is referred to as renal disorders. When patients visit the health institution with these problems, the nurses conduct assessment on the patients which include history taking and physical examination. During history taking, the nurse obtains personal history, family history, current and past urinary problems, complaints on current

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