Question

For nursing student how might best maximize time in head to toe assessment. Can you explain the strategy to maximize time in head to toe assessment.

Answer 1

I will try to explain three strategies to maximize time in head to toe assessment in nursing -

i. Always check the patient for symmetry first and make sure that they are equal on both sides. A nurse has to be consistant on how they do their assessments. So always start with the head or always start with listening to specific area. One should always remain consistant while assessing as inconsistancy slow downs the whole assessment and create frustation.

ii. Second thing to remember while doing head to toe assessment is looking for abnormal thing so that the nurse inherently knows what is normal. Abnormal finding could be anything like abnormal lung sound, abnormal heart sound, difference in eye blinking or speaking etc. Focussing on these abnormal areas allows a nurse to direct their attention in the areas where the patient needs additional nursing care.

iii. While doing the assessment, a nurse must be aware about the needs of the patient. For example if they are in pain, a nurse must make sure they are not pressing any of the painful part. In fact, try to assess the painful area at last so that a little more pain in the area does not impact on the overall time of other areas.

Doing head to toe assessment is extremely complicated, time consuming and that is why a nursing student needs to make sure that they practise these tips and tricks to make sure they are doing their best to maximize time in head to toe assessment.