Overview: Working with Pediatric Patients

Overview: Working with Pediatric Patients OBJECTIVES The main purpose in learning how to work with pediatric patients is to have a clear idea of the potential challenges a medical assistant may encounter when dealing with this patient population. There are many topics to cover, including but not limited to: Understanding correctly the language used within the different pediatric age groups, learning how to effectively communicate with toddlers, adolescents and parents along with finding best practices to proper document basic and vital pediatric information like: height, weight, circumference measurements, pulse, respiratory rates, blood type screening, as well as body motor developing, sensory and language milestones throughout the patient growth. Other important skills to learn are immunization guidelines along with the proper time in which vaccinations have to be administered. At the same time, describing appropriately and effectively different signs and changes during puberty, including secondary sex characteristics. Last, but no least, providing parents with education guidelines for safety along with discussing social issues that are affecting our youth’ health today. Pediatric age classifications and proper communication Although often we may perceive the word â€Å"pediatric† as babies or toddlers, this conception is wrong. In reality, when we refer to pediatric we are covering from new born through 18 years of age. The medical assistant must be knowledgeable in all stages and must be able to handle the challenges these bring forth. The following terms are critical to understand and it is imperative to learn how they are related to one another in communication skills, patient/parents education and documentation. The age ranges are classified as follows: Newborn.- It is the initial period following birth Neonate.- It is the first month of life Infant.- It is the first year of life Toddler.- From the first year of life to preschool age Child.- It often starts with school attendance into the middle childhood Adolescent.- Puberty starts here, reproduction is possible and development of secondary sex characteristics It is highly recommended to practice appropriate communication based in the patient’s age and the patient’s family. Speaking down to or over the head of an individual often creates barriers in the patient responses. It is very important to speak the language that both, the patient and his/her parents understand. When talking to a parent is vital to remain professional and call by their name, in the other hand, when talking with small children who often have not developed verbal interactions, it may be appropriate to communicate through expressions or motions. When speaking with older children or adolescent, communication barriers may come up. Never assume a meaning or intention. Always attempt to clarify what a patient is communicating; it is valid to consider that the patient may be testing the caregiver’s reactions to words or phrases. Communication, if appropriately used, can be a major tool for great evaluations and examinations. It can increase the patient confidence to the healthcare provider and as result; enable high quality health care to the patient. Infant/Toddler Measurements Infants and toddlers grow at an impressive velocity, therefore accurate and consistent measurements are highly necessary to evaluate normal or abnormal development patterns. This practice is helpful in identifying any potential health issues in which early detection will be the key to prompt prevention procedures Height and weight measurements in children at young age can be a clear indicator of potential health issues. Therefore, the medical assistant must be proficient in obtaining and recording this vital information. Being accurate is essential, especially during the early years. Indicators of questionable health may be determined based not only on initial size, but on growth pattern or trends. The National Center for Health Statistics provides charts for height, weight and head circumference. These charts use percentiles, which compare the child’s measurements with an average range of growth for children in the United States. Many factors come to play when assessing measures, one of them is familial stature, gestational age at birth, and chronic disease. When measuring the height of an infant is recommended to get another person to help, when possible, children under 2 years of age are measured in a horizontal position with the body fully extended, although a â€Å"caliper† (an instrument used to measure the distance between two points) is used by most practitioners, some clinics still use a tape measure to complete this task. Children with two years of age or more can be measured while standing. This procedure should be done by removing the patient’s shoes and having the patient’s heels, back and head in the same plane, it is a good practice having the patient standing against the wall. The same can be obtained with the use of an upright physician’s scale. Weight measurement gives another way of asses the pediatric patient’s growth and development, as with height, accurate measurement documentation is used based in the statistics chart provided by the NCHS (National Center of Health Statistics). Young infants are weighed directly on an infant scale, ideally they should be weighed naked or in a diaper. Any item on the scale, aside of the child should be considered to add or subtract when taking measurements. As children get older, techniques must adapted to the patient’s comfort, young children can be weighed in their underwear and using a standing scale. As they go into school age, a gown can be worn for more comfortable and accurate evaluation. The weight of the gowns and/or underwear do not have to determine at this age because of the constant fluctuation of ounces in these children would not be significant as they would for an infant. In the other hand, the use of accurate equipment is much more important and vital. Head circumference and chest circumference is another source of health evaluation. Knowing the traceability of the cranium and the brain is critical in the kid’s health. Abnormally large or small head size must be monitored. Patient’s may encounter macrocephaly which is an abnormally growth of the head circumference larger than 97th. Percentile. Before jumping to conclusions, familial or generic trends need to be considered. In the other hand, microcephaly, the abnormally small head may also indicate a pathologic condition, such as chromosomal disorder. When the head is measured, it is important to always measure the same area at all times; it is recommended to it just above the eyebrows. The information can document in either inches or centimeters according to office protocol. The chest measurement may or may not be done due to various locations being measured. This procedure is an additional calculation that is used to identify low birth weights in preterm babies and may also be used when there is a suspicion of lung or heart disease Pediatric Vital Signs Obtaining vital signs can be challenging at times, bold pressures are usually not taken until the age of two. Cuffs are used to measure blood pressure and they come in a variety of size and themes to make this task as pleasant as possible for the patient, although the use of new or unfamiliar equipment is often traumatic for a young child, many offices acquire equipment that is appealing to children. A good practice is to allow the child to safely touch and test the sphygmomanometer and stethoscope as well as mock with either a doll, stuffed animal or to a parent. The pulse in the young child varies with age and growth. The young infant or toddler may be very active, thereby increase the pulse rate. The primary location for measuring pulse in infants and young children are different than the location in adults. The radial artery is normally used to check on older kids and adults, at the same time, for infants and young children, the femoral or brachial arteries are the choices for patients of this age group. Another way of measuring pulse is through auscultation which is listening to the heart with stethoscope Respirations in the infant and toddler can be measured with the pulse. The rates will vary, depending on the level of activity or illness. Let’s keep in mind that a fever can elevate the respiratory and pulse rates. Obtaining an accurate body temperature is another skill that is essential for medical assistant. Fevers are very common in pediatric patients and they are more frequent compare to adults. There various methods to measure body temperature. In children and adolescents, auditory or aural readings are quick and relatively comfortable. Infants with two months of age or less are best evaluated with a temporal thermometer. Another option is obtaining rectal temperature reading. Pediatrics measurements and vital signs are key evaluation tools for identification of any potential disorders Pediatric Development Aside of the measurements discussed earlier, other areas of growth and development include motor, sensory and language development. There are different milestones that indicate acceptable growth and development patterns. These milestones are used a guidelines to determine the normal growth in children, especially during the first two years of age, it is important to keep in mind that some children reach these sooner or later compared to others, however this is completely normal. Motor development usually includes three areas of growth: reflexes, gross motor and fine motor skills, Reflexes refer to automatic responses to any stimulation. The following are the most common reflexes: Breathing, sucking, rooting, swimming, grasping and moro. Gross motor skills include motions such as rolling, scooting, crawling and walking. Fine motor skills develop utilizing smaller movements, these include touching, grabbing, poking, pulling, and pinching. Sensory Development are related to vision and hearing senses along with the deep perception and motion assessment. Any single area that exhibits impairments will affect the growth in other areas of development. Visual development involves increasing distances in sight as brain matures. Color perception also develops as the child grows. In the other hand, hearing improves in normal development as the child matures Language Development from infancy forward, the child begins with noises that elicit response. These become words, phrases and finally sentences. The timing in which these occur may be different due to educational and environmental circumstances Visual and Auditory screenings are conducted as way of measurement the sensory development and to avoid potential problems that can be treated and corrected. Prior to school age some visual milestones are evaluated: blinking, fixation on objects, coordination of eye movements, and reaching for objects, shaking ere movements and wandering eyes. Hearing screening in the newborn and infant begins. Lack of hearing is often interpreted as intellectual delay. Clues include responses to loud noises, facial expressions and turning head toward noises. As the child matures, more formal testing of hearing can be completed. Audiometric equipment can be used for this purpose. Vaccinations or immunizations have been recommended by the World Health Organization in a constant effort to prevent the spread identified diseases. History shows that infectious diseases have led to worldwide epidemics and studies show that the infant fatality rate decrease due to the use of vaccinations, UNICEF studies show that these include smallpox, whooping cough, polio, diphtheria, tetanus, HIB, hepatitis B, measles, mumps and rubella Pediatric visits include schedules of specifics vaccinations from the country in which the patient lives. The medical assistant is usually responsible for administration of these vaccinations, either orally, topically, or by injection. It is the job of the medical assistant to educate patient regarding the risks and side effects of each individual vaccine. As well as direct them to websites in which they can learn more about this topic. Documentation of the vaccine given must be through, the type, the lot number, the method of administration, and location of injections is placed in the patient record or immunization log. It is an important job of the medical assistant performing pediatric injections. Proper skills need to be developing for the comfort and safety of the patient to avoid physical or emotional trauma. Most pediatric injections are given intramuscularly. An important part of the medical assistant job is to calm the patient before and after the injection. Blood screenings are done to all infants through their capillaries and they may occur within the first seven days of life. Some blood screening is done if symptoms are present or it the presence of family disease. These could be â€Å"sickle cell anemia†, â€Å"IRT†, â€Å"Hypothyroidism†, â€Å"Homocystinuria†, â€Å"Ketonuria†, â€Å"and Galactosemia†. Circumcision or removal of foreskin of the penis is very common on newborn infants while they are still in the hospital; however there are occasions in which due to unforeseen circumstances this procedure is done in the pediatrics’ office which could turn in complications. Adolescent Care could be very challenging for the medical assistant. This is when the secondary sex characteristics become more obvious. At this age in when youths could show manners of independency and even exploration of new avenues such as drugs, alcohol and other substances. Communication could also be challenging with care giver. The communication could persuade embarrassment and nonprofessional. It is important to remain nonjudgmental and at the same time show empathy and professional company. Adolescent can present hug concerns for their height and weight due the influence of society and media with unrealistic and unhealthy standards, therefore the importance of being sensitive when discussing with young people about normal height and weights Puberty brings sexual changes and reproduction becomes a possibility. During this time estrogen and progesterone hormones are increasing in girls. In the other hand, boys will have the increase in the production of testosterone. Secondary sex characteristics are the visual changes seen when boys and girls as they grow to become adults. These are features that are not necessarily related to reproduction, these are voice changes, breasts, shoulder widening and facial hair. Behavioral and Mental Health Issues such as depression, eating disorders, abuse, suicide are thought to be primarily for adults, however they can also occur in the pediatric patients. The health professional must be aware of these signs and symptom in order to provide diagnosis and treatment to these problems

Prisons Dont Work Essay examples -- Critical Thinking Essays

Right now in the United States of America murderers, rapists, and child molesters are being set free. Prisoners are watching T.V., eating a meal, and using exercise equipment while law abiding citizens are starving and living in the gutters. Prisoners even have their own periodical. Dangerous criminals are walking the streets and crime is a way of life to many Americans. In America, crime does pay because our nations prison system is not working. The nations prison system must be changed because of major problems with the system such as overcrowding and the fact that early release programs do not work. Building more jails is expensive and does not solve anything. These problems can be solved by giving prisoners no chance for parole and imprisoning only violent offenders. The non-violent offenders should enter a work program for the duration of their sentence. Since 1980, jail and prison populations have grown by 172 percent(United States 11 Sept. 1994). Overcrowding is both inhumane to the prisoner and dangerous to the prison staff. When you put a lot of people, especially criminals, in close quarters tensions rise and the chance of a riot increases. If a riot occurs both prisoners and guards are put in danger. In Texas the jails are full. There is an estimated backlog of 29,000 state prisoners who are incarcerated in county jails awaiting new cells.(Brida 24 Nov. 1994) Texas is not the only state with overcrowding problems. For example, Ohios prison system is operating at 180 percent of capacity.(Varnam 16) Also, the federal prison system is 37 percent over-capacity(Clark 4 Feb. 1994). Statistics like this are found across the country. Prisons should have two objectives; 1) keep dangerous criminals off the streets ... ...ng more prisons cut the crime rate? The CQ Researcher 4 Feb. 1994URL:gopher://gopher.cqalert.com/0F1:25674:05CQR_FEBRUARY1994%20gopher. Cunniff, Mark A. and Patrick A. Langan. Recidivism of Felons on Probation, 1986-89. 24 Nov. 1994(found) URL:gopher://justice2. usdoj.gov/00/ojp/bjs/13. Prison Inmates To Work In Wildlife Management Areas.Associated Press 24 Nov. 1994(found) URL:gopher://gopher.cic.net/00/nircomm/ gopher/e-serials/general/education/univ-newspapers/daily- texan/today/94041507.s03_Prison.gz. Sanchez , Edward J. Look Beyond Capital Punishment. 26 Nov. 1994 (found) URL:?. United States. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Probation And Parole Populations Reach New Highs. 11 Sept. 1994. URL:gopher://justice2.usdoj.gov/00/ojp/bjs/probpar.txt. Voters Get Tough On Criminals. The Associated Press 9 Nov. 1994. URL:?. Prisons Don't Work Essay examples -- Critical Thinking Essays Right now in the United States of America murderers, rapists, and child molesters are being set free. Prisoners are watching T.V., eating a meal, and using exercise equipment while law abiding citizens are starving and living in the gutters. Prisoners even have their own periodical. Dangerous criminals are walking the streets and crime is a way of life to many Americans. In America, crime does pay because our nations prison system is not working. The nations prison system must be changed because of major problems with the system such as overcrowding and the fact that early release programs do not work. Building more jails is expensive and does not solve anything. These problems can be solved by giving prisoners no chance for parole and imprisoning only violent offenders. The non-violent offenders should enter a work program for the duration of their sentence. Since 1980, jail and prison populations have grown by 172 percent(United States 11 Sept. 1994). Overcrowding is both inhumane to the prisoner and dangerous to the prison staff. When you put a lot of people, especially criminals, in close quarters tensions rise and the chance of a riot increases. If a riot occurs both prisoners and guards are put in danger. In Texas the jails are full. There is an estimated backlog of 29,000 state prisoners who are incarcerated in county jails awaiting new cells.(Brida 24 Nov. 1994) Texas is not the only state with overcrowding problems. For example, Ohios prison system is operating at 180 percent of capacity.(Varnam 16) Also, the federal prison system is 37 percent over-capacity(Clark 4 Feb. 1994). Statistics like this are found across the country. Prisons should have two objectives; 1) keep dangerous criminals off the streets ... ...ng more prisons cut the crime rate? The CQ Researcher 4 Feb. 1994URL:gopher://gopher.cqalert.com/0F1:25674:05CQR_FEBRUARY1994%20gopher. Cunniff, Mark A. and Patrick A. Langan. Recidivism of Felons on Probation, 1986-89. 24 Nov. 1994(found) URL:gopher://justice2. usdoj.gov/00/ojp/bjs/13. Prison Inmates To Work In Wildlife Management Areas.Associated Press 24 Nov. 1994(found) URL:gopher://gopher.cic.net/00/nircomm/ gopher/e-serials/general/education/univ-newspapers/daily- texan/today/94041507.s03_Prison.gz. Sanchez , Edward J. Look Beyond Capital Punishment. 26 Nov. 1994 (found) URL:?. United States. Department of Justice. Bureau of Justice Statistics. Probation And Parole Populations Reach New Highs. 11 Sept. 1994. URL:gopher://justice2.usdoj.gov/00/ojp/bjs/probpar.txt. Voters Get Tough On Criminals. The Associated Press 9 Nov. 1994. URL:?.

Nomination: HIV Education and Prevention

Each year there are several cases of AIDS/HIV cases are reported. This may simply shows that people are still ignorance about the disease and its consequences once a person is inflicted. Other instance of the continued dispersion of the disease is the unawareness of people regarding its prevention. According to some surveys conducted, significant numbers of people are dangerously ignorant about the virus, unawareness about the HIV amongst groups. One way of eliminating the sense of unawareness among people is through education. Significantly, one must always reminder that prevention is better than cure (Avert, 2007). What actions did the candidate take in addressing HIV/AIDS needs in the community? The candidate doesn’t ignore the alarming disease. She/he conducted a house-to-house visit in the X County to provide them education about the disease. In fact, the place was considered to be remote area and really needs to be provided with such actions. He/she   gave information to the people about the disease – HIV transmission and prevention. Besides, he/she also taught them about the practical prevention of the disease. She/he taught them on how to get and use condom, how to suggest and practice safe sex, how to prevent from the infection in a medical environment or injection of drugs. Moreover, she/he also shared the risks involved in an unsafe sex. Besides, she/he also gave leaflet about AIDS and made an advertising campaign regarding the dangerous – putting slogan. This is an example on non-targeted education. Meaning, for those who were not able to reach the program could be educated, at the same time, through this method. She/he knew that education regarding the disease must be disseminated through the entire community. However, considering some of the limitations, she/he couldn’t do the information dissemination between him/her and an individual throughout the entire community. However, before he conducted the program, he/she first know the attitudes or characteristics of the people and the community's culture. She/he considered the following points before visitation: age of the people to be educated, receptive degree of the groups, cultural issues, individual education or awareness, education attained by the people about HIV, literacy, others. From this, she/he could really identify which groups needed an intensive education and prevention program (Avert, 2007). She/he also taught them on the negative impacts of the discrimination towards people having the disease. 2. What achievements resulted from the candidate’s efforts? Because of his intensive information giving out about the disease and the effective method implemented, none of her clients has gotten infected with HIV considering the fact that they are a very high risk group. This simply means that the program really works. The people really understand about the disease, its risks and prevention. Also, the community is also very cooperative among its citizens. They also educate others who are ignorant about the disease. The education was not only distributed to the current residents but also it was distributed and disseminated to the next generation (Avert, 2007). 3. What else would you like the selection committee to know about this individual’s contribution to the HIV/AIDS effort in X County? I wanted to know on how she/he approached each individual. I also wanted to know what problems they encountered at the X County during the educational program and how do she/he resolved it. Reference Avert. (2007). HIV / AIDS Education . Retrieved November 17 , 2007, from Why HIV/AIDS education?: http://www.avert.org/aidseducation.htm ; ; ;

Mine essays

Mine essays Did you know three cigarettes could get one addicted? Every time one takes a puff of a cigarette theyre playing a dangerous game with life. I always wondered, why are cigarettes so deadly, what is in cigarettes; if people know theyre deadly then why do they still smoke them; finally why does the government allow people to buy them when they can kill you?(12) Every time one smokes a cigarette its like putting a gun to your head and pulling the trigger with out knowing if the gun is loaded or not. If we could vote to make cigarettes illegal then 80% of the smokers in the United States will most likely vote Cigarettes are very unhealthy. If you knew what is in cigarettes you would think twice about even touching them. The basic substances are nicotine, tobacco, and TAR. Yes TAR that black smelly stuff that you have on your roof, in the streets, and if you smoke in your lungs. Some other substances used to make cigarettes are: uranium, water, carbon dioxide. These chemicals are also used to make nuclear bombs. I guess smokers enjoy smoking nuclear bombs. Some side effects of smoking are cancer, thickening of the blood, thinner and smaller arteries, and cancer of the vocal cords. You will have to talk out of a microphone in youre neck, and could cause constant Bronchitis. Not only has that but Tobacco use during pregnancy reduced the growth of babies during pregnancy. Smaller babies may not catch up in growth after birth, and the risks of infant illness, disability, and death are increased. Your children are twice as likely to smoke if you do. Half of all premature deaths among life-long smokers result from tobacco use. Addiction is probably the worst part. Before I explain what addiction is like Im going to tell you about the process of addiction. 1. You light the cigarette. 2. You smoke two or three. 3. That dizziness is the nicot...

Anarchy, emergence of essays

Anarchy, emergence of essays New York Times, on Sunday, November 8, had an article on sentences addressed by a Federal judge to three members of the antigovernment Montana Freemen for conspiracy and fraud; the article stirred my memory and concern about this paper, as well as brought into play many of the dilemmas discussed in the Nature of Politics class. However, I do not wish to analyze this particular article or cult, but the emergence of anarchy. There have been theories and diagnosis of human nature: the Aristotelian, teleo- logical view of the political animal, the Platonic, metaphorical view of the chained caveman, the Hobbian, phobic view of savage life as inevitably short, and many notable others. Regardless of the differences found in these, there is a common denominator found in all. That is, human beings move from the animalistic, passive stage to the civilized stage in order to materialize their potential in full. In this domain, governments serve as expedients or facilitators of an anthropological movement. The mechanism may differ from one type of government to another, but its principal, common function is to lay and protect the foundations for a prosperous humanity. In aiming this, a totalitarian regime, an oligarchy, or even a democracy, resorts to some pattern of hierarchy. It is worth noticing, that no matter what degree of legitimacy one government enjoys, or another lacks, they both eventually assume an hierarchical order which in turn inevitably assures a pragmatic i n e q u a l i t y. History repeatedly proves that beyond theory. Even in Communist Soviet Union where all classes were abolished, as they were accused of being the source of all social misery, even then and there, hierarchy rose with the communist-party-class at its top. In the interstate system as well, although member-states are said to be equally ...

Combative scholarship in Southeast Asia Term Paper

Combative scholarship in Southeast Asia - Term Paper Example What is simply dismissed by analysts of the situation in Southeast Asia as being a result of cultural legacies is simply making light of a complex situation. The culture itself has been a propellant of the struggle and therefore part of the unexplained in the overall scheme of things (Faist 215-217). The focus on the cultural aspect of the struggle only served to shift the attention of scholars from influencing the struggle for citizenship and nation building occasioned by hegemony, colonialism, subsequent revolution and development in a bid to leveling patches history. All the efforts that aided in the ending of colonialism and nation building were initiatives of heroes of the past century who envisioned a better life for themselves and future generations. Thus the scholars like Atalas, Agoncilo, Chamvit and Sartono only served to document the heroic actions of theses heroes in a bid to continuing in the path of democracy that they charted. In the course of these actions they have s uffered damage to their reputations and their credibility was also battered all due to the struggle. Citizens who now enjoy citizenship benefits to the fullest owe it to these scholarly heroes since some even lost their lives in the struggle. It is not fair to ask that history focuses on scholars who did not have their credibility battered at the expense of those who did. In all fairness, the struggle should be documented as it was since all those who played part despite the consequences deserve mention. Part 2: Is the application of combative scholarship still viable? There is a large possibility that the nations of Southeast Asia would coalesce to form one state but this would never occur due to cultural commonalities but rather because all of them have had a similar struggle in their own territories for citizenship and nation building. The struggles over the last century have given them certain

What is peak oil Is there any evidence that cities in the developing Essay

What is peak oil Is there any evidence that cities in the developing world are taking the issue seriously in their planning If there is little or no evidence, why is this the case - Essay Example st of the potentially oil rich regions have already been explored, and also due to legislation concerning the preservation of land with natural beauty or heritage value. The irreversible decline in oil production will cause adverse impacts in the global economy, â€Å"recession, food shortages and wars and conflicts over the remaining oil supplies† (Huddart and Stott 873). By the year 2030, it is predicted that while city dwellers in developed countries would have increased by 20%, the urban population in developing countries would have more than doubled to around 4 billion people, leading to overcrowding in several cities. In contemporary society there is a heavy dependence on oil for transportation, in industry, and in other requirements for liquid fossil fuels. â€Å"China, India and other countries are rapidly increasing their consumption while production from known oil fields is peaking† (Wissler 80). Kenneth S. Deffeyes (23) raises a controversial perspective based on geology and mathematics; he considers it improbable that additional major oilfields now remain undiscovered, and predicts increasingly difficult economic, social and political conditions particularly for regions most dependent on oil, specifically imported oil. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and other exporters of oil will be able to charge high rates to fulfill the demands for the commodity, resulting in steep oil price hikes followed by greater chaos than similar occurrences in 1973 and 1979. The problem of ‘peak oil’ is also related to the issue of global warming. When oil production peaks and starts declining, it will be necessary to use other substitutes besides renewable resources examined above, such as coal. This will be necessary to power electric and hybrid vehicles and as the material converted into diesel fuel. These processes producing carbon dioxide will increase air and water pollution, and adversely affect climate change. â€Å"Therefore, a potential effect of climate change is increased