Reply Posts
Respond to your peers’ post and include the following:
· Insight on a solution to an identified peer challenge.
· Resources that may be helpful related to your peers’ post.
POST # 1 AYME
(Ayme’s initial Post)
Reflect on the focus area or system(s) for the week.
· What challenges might you anticipate in completing this assessment?
· What differences might you anticipate when assessing patients across the lifespan?
· Share findings from scholarly resources that help in the performance of this assessment.
The musculoskeletal system comprises skeletal and muscular tissues that provide structural support to the body and aid in movement. This system is, therefore, linked to other body systems including the peripheral vascular and neurological systems. As such, owing to the complexity of this system, one of the challenges that might be anticipated relates to the overlapping of symptoms between the musculoskeletal system and other linked systems. For instance, it might be difficult to understand whether a patient reporting musculoskeletal pain is suffering from a musculoskeletal disorder or disorders of the peripheral vascular and neurological systems. On the other hand, pain is one of the most common complaints among patients with musculoskeletal issues. In this regard, I anticipate a challenge in winning the cooperation of a patient due to pain and the discomfort or anxiety that comes with it.
It is also important to take into account that different age-groups have different musculoskeletal issues. For instance, in the pediatric population, one might anticipate dealing with conditions caused by injuries such as bone fractures and muscle sprains, as opposed to the elderly population where the most anticipated issues are caused by underlying age-related physiological and structural alterations (Egan, 2019). For instance, the elderly population is more likely to present with symptoms caused by conditions such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis as well as rheumatoid arthritis. The general adult population on the other hand may present with musculoskeletal disorders caused by work-related injuries. This means that different physical examination strategies have to be employed for each population or age-group (Egan, 2019). For example, among children, it is important to incorporate their parents and motivators such as snacks to enroll their commitment in the physical examination activities. On the other hand, it is important to use effective communication skills and a high level of empathy when assessing adults and elderly patients as a way of winning their cooperation.
One of the strategies to subdue some of the challenges associated with musculoskeletal assessment is collaboration and seeking assistance/advice from peers including more experienced nurses and physicians (Rosenberg, Nanos & Newcomer, 2017). In essence, this helps in tapping into their experience to address challenges and emerge successful in performing this assessment. The other approach is through establishing an effective and trust-based therapeutic relationship with the patient (Langridge, 2019). This helps in winning their commitment and self-efficacy during physical examination.
References
Egan, J. (2019, June). Musculoskeletal health throughout the lifespan. In APHA’s 2019 Annual Meeting and Expo (Nov. 2-Nov. 6). American Public Health Association.
Langridge, N. (2019). The skills, knowledge and attributes needed as a first‐contact physiotherapist in musculoskeletal healthcare. Musculoskeletal care, 17(2), 253-260.
Rosenberg, C. J., Nanos, K. N., & Newcomer, K. L. (2017). The “near‐peer” approach to teaching musculoskeletal physical examination skills benefits residents and medical students. PM&R, 9(3), 251-257.