Sample Individual Project-
Topic:Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Use the following as an outline to assess the patient:
1) Signs and Symptoms
a. Symptoms are what the patient describes to you. Among these will be a Chief
Complaint. Usually, the one thing that causes them to seek help.
b. Signs are what a health care professional would observe when examining the
patient.
c. Appropriate anatomical terminology should be used.
2) Differential diagnosis
a. Using the signs and symptoms described above list and briefly describe 5 other
diseases the patient might have based on these findings. I.e., If a patient came
in with a chief complaint of lower right quadrant abdominal pain you may
develop a differential diagnosis of, appendicitis, bowel obstruction, gas, ovarian
cyst, abdominal muscle injury.
3) Tests
a. Which tests are usually ordered for your disease?
b. How do these tests rule in or rule out your differential diagnosis list?
4) Treatments (and risk factors)
a. List common treatments. These could include medicines, surgery, or lifestyle
change.
b. Since treatments often correct underlying risk factors, describe the common
risk factors for developing your disease.
5) Prognosis
a. How well do patients recover?
These are all questions you will answer by researching the disorder you select. For this
project, you will know the diagnosis, but what if you didn’t? Your goal is to help the class
understand the process you would go through in a clinical setting.
The paper must follow the outline above and address each
section fully. Papers must use a minim of 3 references and follow APA format.
Missing references is plagiarism.
Example
(Paragraph 1-What is Appendicitis/chief complaint/signs and symptoms) Appendicitis is defined as the inflammation of the appendix. Suppose a patient’s chief complaint consists of abdominal pain beginning around the belly button and spreading towards the lower right quadrant. (Integrate some of your knowledge about anatomy related to your topic)
(Paragraph 2-Signs and Symptoms of Appendicitis)
(Paragraph 3-Differential Diagnosis) In that case, the healthcare professional may develop a differential diagnosis based on these symptoms. The six differential diagnoses associated with the chief complaint are gallstones, pancreatitis, kidney stones, constipation, inguinal hernia, and pregnancy. Gallstones are hardened deposits that collect within the gallbladder. Pancreatitis is a condition where the pancreas becomes inflamed. Kidney stones are hardened deposits produced by the kidneys. Constipation occurs when an individual experiences difficulty passing a bowel. An inguinal hernia develops when a portion of the intestines bulges through the inguinal ring located near the groin. Lastly, pregnancy is a condition where an embryo implants with the endometrial lining of the uterus and progressively develops into a fetus over the course of 40 weeks.
(Paragraph 4-Tests to rule out each Differential Diagnosis)
(Paragraph 5- Prognosis)
References:
- Bhangu, A., Søreide, K., Di Saverio, S., Assarsson, J. H., & Drake, F. T. (2015). Acute appendicitis: modern understanding of pathogenesis, diagnosis, and management. Lancet (London, England), 386(10000), 1278–1287. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00275-5
- Reference 2
- Reference 3
