Healthcare Informatics Resources

The type of assessment skills presented by the book and video clips is rapidly becoming a dying breed. Palpation is still used frequently (for hepato-splenomegaly, to feel for ‘the olive’ in pyloric stenosis, RLQ exam for r/o appy, etc) but percussion has definitely fallen of the clinical pathway. The use of CT scans and bedside ultrasound have replaced percussion for establishing +/- free fluid in the abdomen, liver size, masses, etc. These high-tech tools are fast and easy. Images are transferable to clinicians miles away within minutes, allowing for better clinical decision making for the benefit of the patient. However, with the loss of the hands-on skill come the increased cost of the test – which burdens our health care system even more.

Tags: Healthcare Informatics, Healthcare Informatics Resources, Nursing Education, Health Care Informatics Education, Online Nursing Education, Online Health Nursing Assessment Course, Online Nurse Course

This entry was posted on August 20, 2009 at 5:20 am and is filed under Health Assessment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.