Balancing Healthcare Policy Needs

Cardiovascular Disease Assessment

Describe your clinical experience for this week.

  • Did you face any challenges, any success? If so, what were they?
  • Describe the assessment of a patient, detailing the signs and symptoms (S&S), assessment, plan of care, and at least 3 possible differential diagnosis with rationales.
  • Mention the health promotion intervention for this patient.
  • What did you learn from this week’s clinical experience that can beneficial for you as an advanced practice nurse?
  • Support your plan of care with the current peer-reviewed research guideline.

Submission Instructions:

  • Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources. Your initial post is worth 8 points.

Cardiovascular Disease Assessment

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APA

Cardiovascular Disease Assessment

This week in clinical practice, I had the opportunity to work with an elderly patient who presented with multiple health concerns, which helped me develop my assessment and clinical reasoning skills. Below is a detailed reflection on the experience, including the challenges faced, patient assessment, and health promotion intervention, supported by current peer-reviewed guidelines.

Clinical Experience

This week, I encountered a 72-year-old female patient who presented to the clinic with complaints of fatigue, shortness of breath, and mild chest discomfort. She was anxious about her symptoms and mentioned a family history of heart disease. A key challenge I faced was managing the patient’s anxiety while simultaneously conducting a thorough assessment to determine the root cause of her symptoms.

Patient Assessment

Upon assessment, the patient appeared slightly anxious but in no acute distress. Vital signs were as follows: blood pressure 135/85 mmHg, heart rate 88 bpm, respiratory rate 18 breaths per minute, and oxygen saturation 96% on room air. The patient’s medical history revealed controlled hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Upon further questioning, she reported experiencing fatigue for the past week, a tightness in her chest when climbing stairs, and occasional dizziness, but no episodes of syncope.

The physical examination showed mild exertional dyspnea, but no signs of acute respiratory distress. Auscultation of the lungs revealed clear breath sounds bilaterally, with no rales or wheezes. Cardiovascular exam was significant for an irregular heartbeat, but no murmurs or gallops were noted. The abdomen was soft, non-tender, and…