In the 8th edition of Physical Examination and Health Assessment, Carolyn Javis provides nursing professionals with a detailed approach that can be used to conduct health assessment during their interaction with patients. Nursing professionals require the understanding of various aspects that revolve around their communication with the patient before recommending them to medical practitioners. In many instances, health assessment plays a critical role in revealing the cause of medical problems affecting individuals because of its ability to identify the cause while recommending the best approach that can be used to overcome the issue (Jarvis, 2019). Even though the physical examination is the first interaction nurses will have with their patients, conducting a detailed health assessment overcomes the impact of errors that can interfere with the decisions made by individuals during their line of work. Javis highlights the need for critical thinking and its effect on the overall perspectives of individuals towards the medical encounter.
Aspects such as language barriers, cultural beliefs, and practices can affect the ability of nursing professionals to demonstrate competency in their line of work. Importantly, medical practitioners are supposed to maintain a bias-free attitude during their interactions with patients and overcome issues that affect their interactions with other people in their surroundings (Campinha-Bacote, 2003). In one of my patient encounters, I met with a Mexican patient who thought I was wrong to prescribe certain medications. While I felt the need to stop her, I chose to abide by my moral values and explained to her the results from her lab assessment report. She insisted that I was unable to solve her problem, an aspect that affected my conscience. However, I reached my superiors and informed them of the situation, which they handled amicably by telling the patient about the hospital’s policy when treating patients. If I had been unable to control my emotions, I would have succumbed to the piling pressure of discrimination, where I would have violated my medical oath.
