How can we identify health risks, strengths, and needs in our comprehensive health assessment?
When conducting a comprehensive health assessment, it provides you with a snapshot of the patient’s health status and the health risk of empaneled patients. For example, the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA). Stensvik et al. (2022) noted that “CGA is performed at varying levels of intensity in different settings; accordingly, its content may vary with healthcare settings” (p. 2). In addition, a comprehensive health assessment identifies health problems that could be treated properly for better health outcomes. Due to specialties in healthcare each specialty has a systemic evaluation of the older adult/adult/adolescent/child/infant, accompanied by an individual care plan. These specific care plans provide the patients’ goals of care, who is responsible for obtaining these goals, and an obtainable/realistic timeline to achieve these goals/outcomes. Health assessment is a process involving systematic collection and analysis of health-related information on patients for use by patients, clinicians, and health care teams to identify and support beneficial health behaviors and mutually work to direct changes in potentially harmful health behaviors. In addition, comprehensive health assessments provide insight on health risk integrated with health education programs. Stensvik et al. (2022) noted that “The CC-approach promotes a person-centered care perspective since it involves individualized interventions aiming at assessing unmet needs and health problems, thereby the potential to modifying NPS” (p. 2). In relation to the CC-approach as future providers we need to continue to effectively use comprehensive health assessments. This is evident by reviewing feedback and follow-up support for patients.
Give two examples with rationale for each.
As I stated, the utilization of CC (Case-conferencing) is a beneficial way to identify health risk, strengths and needs in a comprehensive assessment. Stensvik et al. (2022) noted that “Regular CC-meetings enable the staff to communicate in a structured, systematic, and goal-oriented way, and thereby establish a common thought-through understanding of each case” (p. 2). Another example is to understand what your patients expect out of their comprehensive health assessment. When conducting a comprehensive helth assessment patients want a place where it is safe, and their voices are heard when they state their health concerns that are most important to them. In addition, being able to sit and genuinely listen to your patient’s priorities can help further establish an agenda that will essentially provide a more efficient visit and long-tern plan of care for the patient. Both examples will facilitate patients to engage in their own health and healthcare. As a result, it will lead to improved health choices and behaviors in a prolonged period.
