Primary health assessment is the process of evaluating the new symptoms of a disease that an individual or a group of people present. The patient goes through several steps of assessment to determine the kind of primary care he or she should receive. The assessment is important because it helps in early detection of diseases, diagnosis and prevention of the disease. In addition, it helps an organization in determining the facilities that need to be put in place to take care of the needs of patients. Primary health assessment and care also helps in the reduction of mortality rates and the number of people taken to emergency departments and admissions (Cassidy, 2012). Therefore, it is important for nurse practitioners to carry out primary health assessment through several methods. The most common method used is surveys involving clients and consumers, facilities, providers and the health systems (Primary care Assessment Tools, n.d).
Data collected from health assessment by nurse practitioners is useful in preparing a health promotion plan for a patient. It provides the basic information on the causes of a disease and the resources available for treatment. In a promotion plan, the information helps in identifying the possible ways in which the disease can be prevented. Some of the ways to do so may be through immunizations. In addition, it helps to put in place preventive measures that will stop the disease or a particular condition to occur again (Kralewski, 2015).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
In conclusion, primary health assessment is the backbone to providing primary care to patients. Furthermore, it provides the basic information needed for decision making in a health facility. The assessment gives ideas on what should be done and what should be stopped. It is therefore important for nurse practitioners to conduct primary health assessments on patients.
References
Cassidy, A. (2012). Nurse Practitioners and primary Care. Health Policy Briefs . 36(3). Retrieved March 13, 2017 from http://www.healthaffairs.org/healthpolicybriefs/brief.php?brief_id=79
Kralewski, J., Dowd, B., Curoe, A. et al ., (2015). The Role of Nurse Practitioners in Primary Healthcare. Retrieved March 13, 2017 from http://www.ajmc.com/journals/issue/2015/2015-vol21-n6/the-role-of-nurse-practitioners-in-primary-healthcare
Primary Care Assessment Tools. (n.d). John Hopkins: Bloomberg School of Public Health . Retrieved March 3, 2017 from http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/johns-hopkins-primary-care-policy-center/pca_tools.html
