Burn injuries occur when the skin and underlying tissues are damaged due to exposure to heat, electricity, chemicals, radiation, or friction. They can vary in severity, from minor superficial burns to severe deep burns that can be life-threatening.
The damage results in the death of skin cells, which can lead to a massive loss of fluid. Dehydration, electrolyte imbalance, and renal and circulatory failure follow, which can be fatal. Burn patients are treated with intravenous fluids to offset...

Reporting and recording are crucial in data documentation. The timely, thorough, and accurate documentation of facts is essential when recording patient data. Failure to record findings during an assessment or interpretation of a problem will result in loss of information and make the patient document unreliable. The reader is left with general impressions if the information is not specific. A recording is documenting data of the individual's health information in a traceable, secure, and...

Data collection gathers information needed to make accurate judgments about a patient's present condition. During a health history interview, subjective data is collected from the patient, their caregivers, or family members, and objective data is collected through observations and physical assessment. Patients are the primary source of subjective data. Thus information gathered from patients through interviews, observations, and physical examination is primary data. Secondary sources of...

The physical assessment examines the patient for objective data that defines the patient's condition, and aids in formulating the nursing care plan. The purpose of physical assessment is a health status appraisal, which includes identifying health problems, and establishing a database for nursing intervention.
The principles to begin the physical assessment include conducting a comprehensive or problem-related history in a quiet, well-lit room, emphasizing privacy and comfort for the...

The nursing history captures and records the patient's health status, so that a care plan evolves to meet the patient's individual needs. The nursing health history is a part of the initial assessment. A comprehensive history covers all health dimensions and plays a significant role in the assessment process. A comprehensive history includes the patient's biographical information, reasons for seeking health care, expectations, present and past health history, medications, and...

The two sources for collecting information are primary and secondary. After gathering information, interpretation and validation help to complete the data. The purpose of assessment is to establish data with the initial information, to interpret data about the patient's perceived needs and health problems, and to respond to these problems identified.
The nurse collects all aspects of the patient's health in the initial assessment, establishing priorities for ongoing focused assessments...