NURS 6551 Week 11 Common Health Conditions with Implications for Women Part 2 Essay Assignment

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NURS 6551 Week 11 Common Health Conditions with Implications for Women Part 2 Essay Assignment

NURS 6551 Week 11 Common Health Conditions with Implications for Women Part 2 Essay Assignment

Some common health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, are often associated with a certain age, body type, or ethnicity. However, this can be misleading. Consider 55-year-old Melissa Cross. While attending a women’s health and wellness conference, Cross decided to participate in the free health screenings. At her age, she was most concerned with her bone health. However, to her surprise, her bone health was fine, and she was diagnosed with diabetes. She stayed active, ate well, and maintained a healthy weight, so she never thought she would be a candidate for this condition (Vanderbilt University Medical Center, 2012). Like Cross, many women associate diabetes with unhealthy, obese women. As an advanced practice nurse, you must educate patients on their individual risks of common conditions such as diabetes. It is important for women to understand that there is no “typical” patient, and many common health conditions impact women from various backgrounds.

This week you examine common endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions that impact women. You also explore differential diagnoses, treatment and management plans, and patient education strategies for women with these conditions.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this week, students will:
  • Assess patients with common endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Evaluate differential diagnoses for common endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Analyze treatment and management plans for patients with common endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Analyze strategies for educating patients on the treatment and management of common endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Compare the diagnosis and management of female and male patients with the same endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions
  • Understand and apply key terms, principles, and concepts related to common health conditions with implications for women
  • Evaluate diagnoses for patients
  • Evaluate treatment and management plans
  • Evaluate health problems common during pregnancy*
  • Evaluate postpartum depression in patients*
  • Evaluate body system conditions*
  • Evaluate best practices for assessing and managing conditions related to women’s health*
  • Evaluate the impact of differences in best practices on women’s health*

Endocrine and musculoskeletal conditions, especially when left untreated, can have a significant impact on women’s health. Many of these conditions present unique challenges for women, making risk assessments and routine screenings an important part of primary care. As an advanced practice nurse, you must identify signs and symptoms of these conditions and educate at-risk patients so they can also monitor themselves. For this Discussion, consider how you would diagnose, treat, and educate the patients in the following three case studies:

Case Study 1

A 33-year-old Caucasian female presents with concerns about a four-month history of diffuse musculoskeletal pain and stiffness associated with fatigue and dry eyes. The pain varies with the weather and is worse in the morning. Her menstrual periods are irregular and she has frequent dyspareunia. Physical exam is remarkable for pain at different points all over the body, including neck, back, chest, elbows, hips, buttocks, and knees

Case Study 2

A 28-year-old Latina obese female presents to the clinic with increasing body hair and irregular menses. She now has coarse body hair on her chest and upper back. Her menstrual periods used to be fairly regular, but now she can skip three or four months before her next menstrual cycle. She has never been pregnant. She has one male sex partner.

Case Study 3

A 28-year-old Caucasian female comes to clinic concerned about three episodes of urinary incontinence associated with difficulty walking. The first two episodes resolved spontaneously after a couple of days without residuals, but this current episode has lasted a week. Today she began to have some blurred vision. Physical exam is remarkable for mild edema of the optic disc and difficulty with heel-to-toe walking. Deep tendon reflexes are 2+ and there is no extremity weakness.

To prepare:

  • Review Chapter 8 of the Tharpe et al. text and the McSweeney et al. article in this week’s Learning Resources.
  • Review and select one of the three provided case studies. Analyze the patient information.
  • Consider a differential diagnosis for the patient in the case study you selected. Think about the most likely diagnosis for the patient.
  • Reflect on the appropriate clinical guidelines. Think about a treatment and management plan for the patient. Be sure to consider appropriate dosages for any recommended pharmacologic and/or nonpharmacologic treatments.
  • Consider strategies for educating patients on the treatment and management of the disorder you identified as your primary diagnosis.

By Day 3

Post an explanation of the differential diagnosis for the patient in the case study you selected. Explain which is the most likely diagnosis for the patient and why. Then, based on the appropriate clinical guidelines, explain a treatment and management plan for the patient, including proper dosages for any recommended treatments. Finally, explain strategies for educating patients on the disorder.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses.

By Day 6

Respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days who selected different case studies than you did. Keep in mind the conditions your colleagues identified as their primary diagnoses. Explain signs and symptoms of these conditions that are unique to women or are more commonly seen in women. Then, explain how the assessment, diagnosis, treatment, and management of female patients might differ from male patients with the same or similar conditions.

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