Assessing altered body image

Like pain, altered body image remains highly personal, abstract and difficult to describe. It has taken nearly a century to define the concept of body image, and to construe a reasonable working definition of altered body image (ABI). During this time, the assessment of body image has focused upon the researcher and his/her needs, rather than the professional nurse, who must arrive at a practical means to understanding patients' distress, and identify possible solutions. In this paper the author suggests parameters for the assessment of ABI in the practical arena, based both upon ongoing asthma care research and the experience of practitioners developing body image counsellor roles. It is suggested that altered body image should be assessed as part of an integrated approach, and that the complicated risk or cathexis scales developed for psychological research have limited use within the clinical setting.