Question

during a patient assessment, what are the important questions to ask your patient?

i want to know about integumentary ststem, its importance and goals on the body system

Answer 1

During a patient assessment there are some basic questions to be asked-

First of all we will ask demography- i.e. Name,Age,Sex, Religion, Occupation, Address.

Then we will move to chief complains of the patient.

History of present illness

Past History

Drug history

There are also some questions which are to be asked always-

1. Did you hit your head?

2. About any loss of consciousness?

3. Any neck or back pain?

4. Any neck or back trauma?

5. Is there anything else wrong?

Integumentary system- It comprises skin and it's appendages.It protect body from various kind of damages such as loss of water or any other damage from outside. It includes hair, nails, hooves,feathers and scales.

5 components of integumentary system-

Skin

Skin appendages- Nails, Scales, hooves, Sebaceous glands, Sweat glands, hairs.

Subcutaneous tissue and deep fascia.

Mucocutaneous junctions.

Breasts.

Functions-

Protection-The skin protects the rest of the body from the basic elements of nature such as wind, water, and UV sunlight. It acts as a protective barrier against water loss, due to the presence of layers of keratin and glycolipids in the stratum corneum. It also is the first line of defense against abrasive activity due to contact with grit, microbes, or harmful chemicals. Sweat excreted from sweat glands deters microbes from over-colonizing the skin surface by generating dermicidin, which has antibiotic properties.

Sensory function-The hairs projecting from hair follicles in the skin, can sense changes in the environment. The hair root plexus surrounding the base of the hair follicle senses a disturbance, and then transmits the information to the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord), which can then respond by activating the skeletal muscles .

Thermoregulation- The integumentary system help in regulating the temperature because of its connection with sympathetic nervous system. It is done through sweating and shivering.

Vitamin D synthesis- When exposed to UV light the integumentary system produces vitamin D.In the presence of sunlight, a form of vitamin D3 called cholecalciferol is synthesized from a derivative of the steroid cholesterol in the skin. The liver converts cholecalciferol to calcidiol, which is then converted to calcitriol (the active chemical form of the vitamin) in the kidneys. Vitamin D is essential for normal absorption of calcium and phosphorous, which are required for healthy bones.