Teaching & learning focused physical assessments: An innovative clinical support tool

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Clinical Skills Development
• Patient Assessment

Background:

• Active learning strategies like peer evaluation, video technology, and standardized patients enhance nursing student competence in physical assessments.
• Traditional nursing education often focuses on a 'head to toe' assessment approach.
• There is a recognized need for nursing students to develop skills in performing focused assessments relevant to patient health challenges, in addition to comprehensive assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the gap in educational tools for teaching focused physical assessments within a head-to-toe framework.
• To develop a clinical support tool to guide nursing students in learning critical clinical reasoning for focused assessments.
• To enhance the practical skills of baccalaureate nursing students in performing targeted patient evaluations.

Main Methods:

• Development of a novel clinical support tool by a nursing instructor in Western Canada.
• The tool is designed to guide the process of conducting focused assessments integrated within a head-to-toe examination.
• The tool aims to bridge the gap between comprehensive and system-specific patient evaluations.

Main Results:

• A new clinical support tool has been created to aid nursing students in learning focused physical assessment skills.
• The tool provides a structured approach to integrating focused assessments into the broader 'head to toe' examination.
• This initiative aims to improve students' ability to identify and address specific patient health concerns.

Conclusions:

• The developed clinical support tool addresses a critical need in nursing education for teaching focused physical assessments.
• This resource is expected to enhance nursing students' clinical reasoning and accountability in patient assessment.
• The tool supports the development of essential skills for providing effective and targeted patient care.