Case studies should be very in-depth and describe your findings thoroughly.
One to two line answers do not qualify the depth and breadth of a medical topic and will detract substantially from your overall grade.
All assignments in the Nursing programs are to be submitted in APA format. If you are unfamiliar with APA, there is an APA link added to all your Nursing syllabi and a printed copy available in the Student Success Center (SSC). SSC staff are available to assist with formatting (not content).
There are no group projects regarding homework in NUR 251. All homework is expected to be completed independently.
If unsure, ask before you submit your assignment. Once assignments are accepted, they are considered in final form and will be graded as such.
Below is a partial sample from a case study that answers questions thoroughly and provides references within text and at the end of the document, per APA.
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Describe the assessment you need to perform to determine what may be occurring with M.K.
You would obtain a focused history from M.K., further evaluating his symptoms, including the location of pain, quality of pain, timing of pain and stools; any factors that aggravate or alleviate pain or diarrhea; any related symptoms, such as flatulence, heartburn, nausea, and vomiting; and characteristics of stool, including frequency, volume, presence of steatorrhea, looseness, and relationship between pain and bowel movements. Inquire about any weight loss, recent travel, and the use of alcohol and tobacco products. Ask about any joint pain. Assess for any signs of dehydration, evaluating the mucus membranes, skin turgor, and skin color. Check the mouth and skin for any lesions or ulcerations. Auscultate bowel sounds. Palpate the abdomen for any distension and tenderness and the liver and spleen for any enlargement. Percuss the abdomen, checking for expected areas of dullness and tympany. Evaluate the anorectal area for lesions, hemorrhoids, fissures, masses, and tone. Check for tenderness to fist palpation over the costovertebral angle (Lewis, S.L., Dirksen, S.R., Heitkemper, M.M., Bucher, L., 2014).
Based on M.K.’s clinical manifestations and lab results, the health care provider suspects inflammatory bowel disease. Why?
The health care provider suspects inflammatory bowel disease because of the frequent diarrhea, abdominal pain, patient’s age, slight fever, low BMI (malnutrition), anemia (low RBC, hematocrit, and hemoglobin), elevated ESR, decreased sodium, and decreased potassium. These are all clinical manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease (McCormack, J.