NSB103 Health Assessment

Unit Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

Health assessment is the foundation of nursing practice and clinical reasoning. This unit complements the unit LQB185 Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professionals by providing an opportunity for you to apply knowledge of scientific foundations of human health to the core nursing skill of health assessment (observation, interview, measurement, and physical examination). Effective health assessment underpins all aspects of person-centred nursing care. The foundational skills learnt in this unit are critical to success in later integrated-practice units and unit concepts are further developed as students extend their knowledge of health and nursing. Selected Principles of Public Safety and Quality Health Standards and Aged Care Standards are integrated.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Apply knowledge of the key NMBA Registered Nurse Standards for Nursing Practice and National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards related to health assessment and documentation.
2. Apply knowledge of anatomy and physiology to identify normal and abnormal health parameters, and actual and potential health problems across the lifespan.
3. Use clinical reasoning skills and knowledge of health assessment to recognise patterns of acute deterioration to facilitate safe person-centred care.
4. Apply professional communication skills to undertake effective health assessments and engage with self-reflective practices.
5. Apply digital and academic literacy skills to locate and integrate relevant evidence to inform practice.

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit will use a blend of online and face-to-face activities, including tutorials and clinical practice sessions. These activities will begin to develop your health-assessment skills – including data collection – and your ability to engage with structured and evidence-based approaches to practice. You will also begin to develop reflective practitioner skills through activities that will include keeping an ePortfolio. You will experience collaborative practice in a simulated healthcare environment by working in groups to develop and practice physical examination and communication skills. You will complete learning activities with a key emphasis on observing normal parameters and recognising abnormal parameters. The use of e-health records and other documentation will develop your digital literacy skills. Additionally, to appreciate the value of peers and the knowledge and experience they bring, small group tutorials will use structured exercises, evidence, and resources to support collaborative learning and inquiry.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

You will be provided with feedback and guidance to assist your learning throughout the semester through:

• Formative feedback in class interactions throughout semester, individually and/or as a group
• Immediate feedback on skills acquisition in CPS
• Written summative feedback on case study, with CRA
• The unit coordinator and tutors will be available for consultation throughout the semester in on-campus and online contexts

Assessment

Overview

There are three summative assessments to be completed in this unit. The first assessment is an authentic health assessment case where you demonstrate your understanding of effective communication techniques, normal and abnormal patient data parameters including pathophysiology, and prepare a patient handover. In assessment two you are required to demonstrate your clinical skills in safe health assessment practice and satisfactorily perform a clinical assessment skills challenge. The third assessment is an exam.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Presentation

Review a simulated health assessment case and answer a range of questions then prepare a patient handover using a provided framework, via a video recording (narrated powerpoint or similar). This assessment demonstrates your understanding of health assessment data, effective communication techniques; normal and abnormal patient data parameters including pathophysiology and delivery of patient handover.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Clinical assessment skills challenge

You will be expected to use your current knowledge, skills and attributes developed during learning experiences in clinical laboratory sessions to apply principles of safe health assessment practice and demonstrate satisfactory performance of one (1) selected clinical skill.  If you do not meet the required clinical practice standard in your first attempt you will be offered remedial education and one further attempt to demonstrate acquisition of the required skill and knowledge.  

Students will be assessed on their performance of the skill according to relevant best practice guidelines and performance criteria.

Assessment: Exam

You will undertake an invigilated exam consisting of multi-choice and short answer questions.

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Prescribed text(s)

Calleja, P., Theobald, K., Harvey, T., & Estes, M. E. Z. (2024). Estes health assessment & physical examination (4th Australian & New Zealand edition.). Cengage Learning Australia.

Rebeiro, G., Wilson, D., & Fuller, S. (2021). Fundamentals of nursing : clinical skills workbook (4th edition.). Elsevier Australia a division of Reed International Books Australia Pty Ltd.

Risk Assessment Statement

During the learning activities associated with this unit, you will be exposed to situations in the Clinical Simulation Centre (CSC) that are deemed to be low risk. It is essential that, in the on-campus Clinical Simulation Centre, you:

• Act in accordance with supervisor instruction during the designated clinical practice sessions
• Act in accordance with the guidelines provided for student practice in the CSC including the usage of equipment
• Undertake required theoretical preparation prior to practice sessions in the CSC.

Standards/Competencies

This unit is designed to support your development of the following standards\competencies.

Registered Nurse Standards for Practice

1: Thinks critically and analyses nursing practice.

1. The RN accesses, analyses, and uses the best available evidence, that includes research findings, for safe, quality practice
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
2. The RN develops practice through reflection on experiences, knowledge, actions, feelings and beliefs to identify how these shape practice
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
3. The RN maintains accurate, comprehensive and timely documentation of assessments, planning, decision-making, actions and evaluations
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam

2: Engages in therapeutic and professional relationships.

1. The RN communicates effectively, and is respectful of a person’s dignity, culture, values, beliefs and rights
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam

4: Comprehensively conducts assessments.

1. The RN conducts assessments that are holistic as well as culturally appropriate
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
2. The RN uses a range of assessment techniques to systematically collect relevant and accurate information and data to inform practice
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
3. The RN works in partnership to determine factors that affect, or potentially affect, the health and wellbeing of people and populations to determine priorities for action and/ or for referral
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
4. The RN assesses the resources available to inform planning.
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam

Course Learning Outcomes

NS42 Bachelor of Nursing

1. Apply scientific knowledge and skills from nursing and related disciplines to the provision of safe, person-centred, evidence-based nursing care across the lifespan
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
2. Apply critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and digital literacy skills to make evidence- based decisions and evaluate outcomes
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
3. Practice as an ethical, socially inclusive, and culturally safe practitioner, reflective of your professional nursing identity across a range of health service settings.
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam
4. Enact and sustain effective communication skills, therapeutic relationships, and professional capabilities to practice independently and in inter and intra professional teams, to ensure safe, person-centred care
   Relates to: Presentation, Exam