Question

Case StudyPsychosocial Assessment

The charge nurse has an appointment with the unit’s social worker to discuss the possible placement of a 92-year-old patient who has recently been admitted for a third time due to a fall at home. He now has a fractured femur and will need rehabilitation services for at least 6 weeks after which permanent placement may occur. The social worker arrives and shares that she is going to interview the patient and family to see what supports the patient has to assist in deciding upon placement. The charge nurse is concerned about the supports being the only issue being assessed and inquires to the social worker if they should also perform an entire psychosocial assessment as well. (Learning Objective 1)

What information would you include about a psychosocial assessment for the social worker that would give her insight about this tool?

2.Why would a psychosocial assessment be a more preferable tool to utilize as opposed to a physical assessment or functional assessment

Answer 1

1. Firstly psychosocial assessment is the summary made by social workers for their clients containing solution of their problems. This includes various factors such as physical/psychiatric illness and its impact, results derived from psychological tests, legal status, descriptions of the problems, existing assets and resources, the prognosis or prediction of outcome, and the plan designed to resolve the problems.

Psychosocial assessment should consist of:

1. Communicate exact information of client to college for case planning.

2. All the basic and necessary information of client should be collected for example, when the patient came for service, is he taking service before from any other source etc.

Now the psychosocial assessment is divided into 3 parts:

· Basic information

· Background and current functioning

· Impressions, Assessment, and Recommendations

This is the best way to start treating client in hospital via this technique as all the summary of patient is already taken just need to implement on the psychosocial assessment steps.

The best part of this technique is that the interview and observation, client feels free regarding his treatment and continuous observation will lead to give more deep down details of client improvement.

In nursing psychosocial assessment is basically involves large number of questions asked by patients to know more about their history for better health treatment planning.

There are some questions asked by:

· Have you had thoughts of hurting yourself?

· Has there been a previous suicide attempt? When?

· Do you have a plan to commit suicide?

In the case history which was given above a 92 year old person fall at home and got fractured in femur bone, now he needs rehabilitation for 6 weeks and then permanent placement, in this case the interview of patient and their whole family should be taken and make a health care chart of patient in order to also make him not feel burden on their family, because in this age people start taking themselves as burden on his family which leads to give negative impact on their recovery.

2- Psychosocial assessment is more preferable than physical and functional assessment in my words is that in psychosocial assessment social worker plus medical staff both are involved so in this case family interview, observation, history or the summary of patient is prepared is more genuine and authentic so that there is no chance of any error. In function assessment basically , physical skills are involved , it measures and then health chart is prepared but here, all the perspectives has to be considered.