The Importance of Screening the Patient

Screening relates to medical tests intended to assess an individual’s health standing through identification of unrecognized diseases before symptoms surface. White et al., (2017) define screening as the presumptive identification of unrecognized medical conditions through application of procedures, tests or examinations to a target population or individuals who are apparently asymptomatic. In medicine screening strategy is applied to individuals or entire population to look for yet unrecognized risk markers that cause ailments. The risk markers indicate a person’s tendency for suffering from a particular illness. According to Curry et al., (2018), screening is a vital strategy that helps isolate health problems. Screening programs start with invitation of the target population and later application of an appropriate treatment for diagnosed individuals. As White et al., (2017), assert, an effective screening should have mechanisms for systematic invitation, necessary infrastructure, resources and a robust evaluation and monitoring framework. Screening depends on an individual’s medical history, age and sex. In reference to the 39 year old Hispanic female, screening would be crucial to detect conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease, urinary tract infections, anemia, bone marrow failure, and breast cancer. 

It would be imperative to screen the 39 year old patient, as the undertaking is an effective way of detecting a specific unrecognized health condition. Timely identification of a disease would enable me as a primary care provider to recommend intervention by means of right treatment application at the right time eventually leading to better control over her health ( Apóstolo et al., 2017) . For example, manual breast examination would be an important exercise in diagnosing b reast cancer when it can be successfully treated. Olson et al., (2019) explain that performing checkup tests significantly increases the odds of timely disease detection. Screening through manual examination is valuable in increasing survival chances ( Olson et al., 2019) . Combined with physical exams, breast screening is a useful and convenient strategy that would contribute to detection and treatment of breast cancer ( Olson et al., 2019) . The screening would help the patient understand the normal look of her breast thereby enabling her to notice any differences if any in future that would prompt solicitation of advice from a medical doctor. 

Diagnosis of a disease would prompt medical intervention resulting in better treatment, management and consequent reduction of risk of complication while enhancing the patient’s health outcomes. It would therefore be important to screen her, to identify if she is at risk of a potential condition or disease. In case the patient has a family history of diabetes or cancer, screening would important to help her with the process managing the condition if it occurs in future ( Tabaac, Sutter, Wall & Baker, 2018) . Screening tests would be essential in diagnosing the cause of certain symptoms which the patient is unsure of the cause. The tests would enable application of necessary treatment procedures. The exercise is crucial in enabling opportunistic screening through offering of an additional measurement for example blood pressure tests to a patient who has visited a primary care provider ( Apóstolo et al., 2017) . Screening would enable the patient to have a voluntary test which would enable identification of an underlying medical condition. 

Screening of the patient is vital in making of a final diagnosis by a primary care provider. The preliminary screening tests would be crucial in detecting any abnormalities that would be closely looked at in other advanced tests. For example, in case the patient’s stool test reveals an abnormal result such blood in her stool, the bowel would be examined with an endoscope to find out if the blood traces are caused by cancer or other conditions such as inflammation or hemorrhoids ( Pietzner, Kaul, Henning, Kastenmüller, Artati, Lerch & Friedrich, 2017) . It would be important to subject the patient to screening to detect risk factors for certain maladies. As Stacey et al., (2017) explain, screening tests are able to influence if a person will get ill. The screening would determine the risk factors or abnormal changes that are likely to develop into a disease later. Checkup tests would make it possible to detect and treat conditions such as inflammations that would later develop into cancer. Therefore, screening would be a preventative strategy that can stop or protect the patient from contracting diseases with far reaching impacts. 

Screening such as urinalysis would be important to detect presence of occult blood that imply bleeding of gastrointestinal or part of the urinary system. The screening is vital in identifying and managing an array of conditions such as diabetes, urinary tract infections or kidney disease ( Stacey et al., 2017) . For example, in case the patient is found to have a cloudy instead of clear urine, as a primary care provider I would recommend further tests to confirm if it is a sign of kidney illness. Necessary medications would therefore be administered ultimately improving the patient’s health outcomes. Screening of the patient’s urine would enable me to make a diagnosis of a medical condition. For example, if the patient is experiencing frequent and painful urination or back pain, the test would aid in identification of the cause of the symptoms. Additionally, screening can be essential in monitoring the patient’s medical condition if she had previously been diagnosed with a disorder such as kidney disease ( Smith, Andrews, Brooks, Fedewa, Manassaram ‐ Baptiste, Saslow & Wender, 2017) . The screening would be crucial in checking for urine acidity (pH), concentration, ketones, bilirubin, sugar and evidence of infection. Additionally, screening for the patient can be instrumental in diagnosing an autoimmune condition or Graves’ disease caused by hyperthyroidism. Testing would be crucial in diagnosing thyroid disorders or in monitoring hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism treatment. Screening through administration of THS test would be necessary to check if the patient’s thyroid gland is working appropriately ( Stacey et al., 2017) . Screening can be an important exercise in telling if the Hispanic patient’s thyroid gland is underactive or overactive. Screening would therefore enable administration of medications such as methimazole, radioactive iodine or surgery ultimately improving the patient’s health outcomes. 

Screening would lead to lowering of healthcare costs in the long run. Scheduling a regular health screening cuts down healthcare costs that the patient would incur by treating a condition whose symptoms are noticeable. In case a medical condition is detected at an exacerbated stage, it would prove difficult to manage eventually ending up draining the patient financially ( Smith et al., 2017) . Therefore, screening would save money in the long term as periodic checkups mitigate the risk of potential medical conditions that would turn to be dangerous such as a major surgery that would cost her exorbitant medical expenditure. Screening would keep the Hispanic patient abreast of her health ( Stacey et al., 2017) . The screening results would inform me as the primary care provider about the status of her health. Depending on the results, I would be in a position to give her advice or warn her on how she can better maintain her health. It would be important to screen her, to enable her clear of any stress related issues caused by problems such as lump on the breast, blood pressure or hormone imbalance. Screening can for example rule out dangerous medical conditions thereby reducing the anxiety and stress that would be having a toll on her psychological and physical wellness. Summarily, screening would significantly reduce the risk of getting sick, detect life threatening health disorders, increase chances of treatment and limit likelihood of complications by close monitoring of a condition ultimately improving her overall health outcomes. 

The Recommended Screening required 

Urine analysis and dipstick tests include examinations required for people aged 39 years. According to Matulewicz et al., (2017), urinalysis tests the urine for conditions such as diabetes, tract infections and kidney disease. The screening checks the content, appearance and concentration of the patient’s urine. Individuals aged 39 years old and older are vulnerable to medical conditions such as diabetes and kidney diseases which are detectable through urinalysis. The screening comprises of a collection of chemical, microscopic and physical tests that measures presence of bacteria, abnormal metabolism, cellular fragments etc. Patients such as the 39 year old Hispanic require urinalysis to measure abnormal levels of substances such as protein, red and white blood cells, glucose and bilirubin. The test is critical in detecting kidney disease and urinary tract infections. Dipstick test entails dipping of a thin plastic rod with chemicals on a person’s urine to identify abnormalities such as high protein level, increased acidity, blood presence and ketones ( Matulewicz et al., 2017) . 

Additionally, Comprehensive Metabolic Panel (CMP) is a required test that reveals an individual’s metabolism status. The exercise also checks for levels of proteins, glucose status, liver and kidney health, acid base balance and electrolyte. Individuals aged 39 years are prone to diabetes and diseases of the kidney and liver. The screening is ordered as a medical exam to monitor hypertension and as a follow up on individuals who have previously been diagnosed with kidney and liver conditions. CMP is also recommended to check levels of calcium, carbon dioxide, alkaline phosphate, bilirubin and total protein. The results are compared to a reference range column to determine if the levels are normal, above or below. CBC with Diff is also a required test to evaluate circulation of white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets in the blood. CBC assesses a person’s health status and detects a range of conditions such as leukemia, anemia and infections. The test is critical in reviewing an individuals’ overall health, diagnose a medical condition, monitor disease progression and effectiveness of an administered treatment for improvement of health outcomes ( Wertheim et al., 2017) . 

Lipid panel screening is another test that is required on individuals who are 39 years old. The test measures levels of cholesterol, Triglyceride and lipoprotein ( Haggerty & Tran, 2017) . 39 year olds are vulnerable to the risk of contracting cardiovascular diseases or developing abnormal lipid levels. Screening therefore assesses risk factors and monitors them when a patient’s previous results showed high risk levels or rates effectiveness of an induced treatment. The test is administered through inserting a needle into a person vein to draw blood which is then tested on a portable device. The cholesterol test determines an individual’s risk of having a buildup of plaques, a condition that leads to blocked arteries ( Haggerty & Tran, 2017) . Hemoglobin A1C is recommended as a test for a patient’s average blood sugar level for the last two to three months. 39 year olds who have diabetes ought to regularly undergo the A1C test to determine if the glucose level is within range. According to Qaseem, Wilt, Kansagara, Horwitch, Barry, Forciea (2018), the test is applied in diagnosing diabetes and in stances when a primary care provider intends to adjust a patient’s drugs. The test checks a person’s risk of developing diabetes and aids in monitoring treatment effectiveness. 

Vitamin D, 25Hydroxy is required to monitor the individual’s vitamin D levels. The test checks for 25-hydroxyvitamin D blood level to determine how much of vitamin D a person has. TSH is recommended to measure thyroid hormone and find out how well the thyroid gland is working. The test is able to tell if a person is overactive or underactive and is used in detection of thyroid disorder prior to surfacing of its symptoms ( Qaseem et al., 2018) . The 39 year old had displayed a positive Nitrite urinalysis result hence should undergo urine culture test. The examination checks for germs in the urine such as bacteria. A care provider adds a substance that supports growth of germs which may indicate their presence in case culture results are positive ( Sloane et al., 2017) . Screening for Malignant Neoplasm of Cervix is recommended for individuals who are 39 years as the principal screening examination in asymptomatic females to detect cervical cancer. The test identifies pre-cancerous changes and diagnosis vaginal or cervix infections ( Sloane et al., 2017) . Manual Breast Exam is required for the Hispanic Female to detect signs that can suggest high risk of developing breast cancer at an early stage ( Olson et al., 2019) . It entails inspection of a females’ breasts using hands and eyes to detect any changes that may signal something serious. Care providers’ carry manual exams to check for lumps and recognize warning signs or abnormalities which indicate development of breast cancer. 

USPSTF) Recommendations 

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) constitutes an autonomous primary care experts who have developed preventative services recommendations. Women who are above 35 years old but without a prior diagnosis of breast cancer should be engaged in a shared and informed decision making where primary care providers are supposed to prescribe risk mitigating medications ( Kurth et al., 2018) . The females aged 39 years should undergo a co-test that includes cytology after every five years. Females in the aforementioned age bracket should be screened for depression which ought to be implemented with adequate infrastructure to ensure effective treatment, accurate diagnosis and appropriate follow up ( El-Den et al., 2018) . 

USPSTF recommends that primary care providers should screen the adult women for HIV infection including those who are pregnant and in labour but with an unknown HIV status ( Kurth et al., 2018). USPSTF recommends screening of the 39 year olds for obesity and advices care givers to administer behavioral interventions and intensive counselling to promote weight loss. The board issues recommendations that adults aged 39 years should be screened for alcohol misuse and provision of behavioral counselling interventions to cut down alcohol use. The USPSTF recommends regular screening of female adults for high blood pressure and advices care providers to obtain measurements outside clinical settings for confirmation prior to commencement of treatment (Curry et al., 2018). Adult asymptomatic women for the said age group should be screened for gestation diabetes mellitus after 24 weeks of pregnancy. 

References 

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