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Latest updates on sepsis, zika, and other topics disrupting the healthcare industry
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Nov 7 2022
Chief Complaint Mnemonics In the primary care setting, a thorough history of present illness (HPI) is key to understanding the reason or issues that prompted the patient’s visit. The first and most important component of the HPI is the chief complaint (CC). As you...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Nov 3 2022
Tests for Higher Cognitive Function The mental health assessment is critical to evaluating brain function, specifically cognition. While neuroimaging tests can examine structure, blood flow, metabolic function, and abnormal protein deposits in the brain, there’s still no way...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 27 2022
Disorders of Thought Process and Thought Content Two critical elements of the mental status assessment are thought process and thought content. You can weave an evaluation of an individual’s thoughts throughout the general patient interview.   Thought Process (Bickley et al., 2021) ...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 27 2022
Understanding Aphasia We often take language and our ability to communicate for granted. For patients with aphasia, it is an extremely challenging and frustrating impairment. Aphasia is the loss of the ability to speak or comprehend written or spoken language.   ...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 25 2022
Assessing Level of Consciousness As a nurse, the first thing we often do when we walk into a patient’s room is assess the patient’s mental status and level of consciousness. We immediately observe whether the patient is awake and alert. If awake, we’ll ask them...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 19 2022
Insulin - How Does It Work? If you’re a nurse who’s worked in direct patient care, it’s likely you’ve administered insulin at some point in your career. Have you ever wondered how insulin works? Insulin Basic Review Before we dive into the mechanics...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
How To Assess Doll's Eyes Reflex It can be challenging to complete a full neurologic assessment of the comatose patient. However, you can evaluate brainstem function and specific cranial nerves (III, IV, VI, VIII) by testing for the oculocephalic reflex, also known as doll&rsquo...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
Special Techniques in Neurologic Assessment As you complete your neurologic assessment, there are three special techniques that you should perform if you suspect your patient might have meningeal inflammation: nuchal rigidity, Brudzinski sign, and Kernig sign (Bickley et al., 2021). Let...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
How to Assess Discriminative Sensations A thorough neurologic assessment involves an evaluation of the sensory system. This begins with primary methods such as light touch, pain and temperature, vibration, and joint position.  These tests check if the afferent sensory pathways are...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
What is Pronator Drift? A thorough neurologic assessment involves an evaluation of the motor system, including body position, involuntary movements, and coordination, as well as muscle bulk, tone, and strength. One basic component is the test for pronator drift which...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
Spasticity vs. Rigidity: What’s the Difference? A key component of the neurological assessment includes evaluating the patient’s muscle tone. Normal muscle tone will maintain some residual tension with relaxation. You can assess this by noting the muscle’s resistance to passive...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
How To Assess for Clonus As you complete your neurologic assessmentand test your patient’s deep tendon reflexes, if the reflexes appear to be hyperactive, take a moment to check for clonus. Clonus is an abonormal movement marked by a rhythmic alternating muscle...
By: Myrna Buiser Schnur, MSN, RN Oct 10 2022
Grading Deep Tendon Reflexes Reflexes are involuntary contractions of muscles in response to a stimulus and are classified as deep tendon, superficial, or pathologic (Hinkle, 2021). The most common reflexes tested are the deep tendon reflexes which include the biceps, triceps...
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