Diagnosing Integumentary Disorders
When entering examination rooms, advanced practice nurses often immediately begin assessing patients by looking for external abnormalities such as skin irritations or cloudy eyes. By making these simple observations, they can determine how to proceed with their patient evaluations. During the patient evaluation, advanced practice nurses will use initial observations to guide them in acquiring the necessary medical history, performing additional assessments, and ordering the appropriate diagnostics. The information obtained during this evaluation process will help in the development of a differential diagnosis. Once a diagnosis is made, the advanced practice nurse can consider potential treatment options and work with the patient to develop a plan of care. For this Forum, consider the following three case studies of patients presenting with integumentary disorders.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum Case Study 1
A 46-year-old male presents to the office complaining of a pruritic skin rash that has been present for a few weeks. He initially noted the rash on his feet, but it then spread to between the fingers, his wrist, and waist. He notes that it does not seem to be on his face or trunk. He recently came home from a trip to Florida where he had stayed in multiple hotels. He takes occasional ibuprofen for knee pain, but denies taking other medications or having other health problems. He has no known drug allergies. The physical examination reveals a male with several tiny vesicles and scales in between the fingers, on the feet and ankles, around the patient’s wrist and around the belt line.
Picture of a hand that is covered in a pruritic skin rash between the fingers, which covers the wrist. The rash does not uniformly cover the hand and is scaly in some areas.
Case Study 2
K.B., a 52 year old Irish American patient who present today complaining of “a mole” on the skin that is changing colors. He said he has had this ‘mole’ for almost two years. K.B. is a construction worker currently residing in Hawaii. As a teen he worked outside and visited the tanning bed several times a month. He is a worried that this “mole” doesn’t look like the others on his body.
On your examination, you note, the lesion as round, dark colored in appearance, and scaly. You also note the mole has an irregular border and about 0.2cm in size.
Depicted on the skin are four moles. In the center is a large mole that is dark colored in appearance, with an uneven colored tone, appears scaly, and has an irregular border. The other three moles depicted appear normal in appearance.
Case Study 3
J.V. 50 year old patient with history of eczema is here today complaining of lesions on the right side of her face and neck. She thinks it is a flare up of her eczema and is asking for a refill of her ointment, TAC 0.1%.
She complains of some ‘itching’ and a bit of ‘tingling and pain’ to the lesions. She’s a pharmaceutical worker and thinks that the ‘pain’ maybe due to contaminate exposure. Denies any other associating symptoms. Below is a photo of the lesions.
Patient presents with lesions on the right side of her face and neck. The lesions are red in appearance and vary in size. They appear scaly and do not uniformly cover the entire region of her face or neck.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum
To prepare:
Review Part 5 of the Buttaro et al. text and the case studies provided
You will either select or be assigned one of the three case studies provided.
Reflect on the provided patient information including history and physical exams.
Think about a differential diagnosis. Consider the role the patient history and physical exam played in your diagnosis.
Reflect on potential treatment options based on your diagnosis.
Note: For this Forum, you are required to complete your initial post before you will be able to view and respond to your colleagues’ postings. Begin by clicking on the “Post to Forum Question” link and then select “Create Thread” to complete your initial post. Remember, once you click on Submit, you cannot delete or edit your own posts, and you cannot post anonymously. Please check your post carefully before clicking on Submit!
By Day 3
Post an explanation of the primary diagnosis, as well as 3 differential diagnoses, for the patient in the case study that you selected or were assigned. Describe the role the patient history and physical exam played in the diagnosis. Then, suggest potential treatment options based on your patient diagnosis.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum
Week 3 Forum
Diagnosing HEENT Disorders
In clinical settings, advanced practice nurses may initiate a physical examination of a patient by examining the components of the HEENT system. Assessing primary diagnoses and differential diagnoses as they concern the HEENT system are important in informing your practice in providing optimal care.
For this Forum, consider the following three case studies of patients presenting with head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat disorders.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum Case Study 1
An 86-year-old widowed female is brought to the office by her daughter-in-law. The patient complains of constant tearing and an itchy, burning sensation in both eyes. The patient states this is not a new problem, but it has worsened in the past week and is affecting her vision. The patient complains that her eyes are dry. She thinks the problem must be caused by one of her medications. Her patient medical history is positive for hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure. She has an allergy to erythromycin that causes rash and elevated liver enzymes. Medications currently prescribed include Furosemide 40 milligrams po twice a day, diltiazem 240 milligrams po daily, lisinopril 20 milligrams po daily, and warfarin 3 milligrams po daily. The physical examination reveals a frail older female with some facial dryness and slight scaling. Her visual acuity is 20/60 OU, 20/40 OD, 20/60 OS. The eyelids are erythematous and edematous with yellow crusting around the lashes. Sclera are injected, conjunctiva are pale, and pupils are equal and reactive to light and accommodation.
Case Study 2
A middle-aged male presents to the office complaining of a two-day history of a left earache. The onset was gradual, but has steadily been increasing. It has been constantly aching since last night, and his hearing seems diminished to him. Today he thinks the left side of his face may even be swollen. He denies upper respiratory infection, known fever, or chills. His patient medical history is positive for Type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The patient has a known allergy to Amoxicillin that results in pruritus. Medications currently prescribed include Metformin 1,000 milligrams po twice a day, lisinopril 20 milligrams po daily, Aspirin 81 milligrams po daily, and simvastatin 40 milligrams po daily. The physical exam reveals a middle aged male at a weight of 160 pounds, height of 5’8”, temperature of 98.8 degrees Fahrenheit, heart rate of 88, respiratory rate of 18, and blood pressure of 138/76. Further examination reveals the following:
Face: Faint asymmetry with left periauricular area slightly edematous
Eyes: sclera clear, conj wnl
L ear: + tenderness L pinna, + edema, erythema, exudates left external auditory canal, TM not visible
R ear: no tenderness, R external auditory canal clear without edema, erythema, exudates
+ tenderness L preauricular node, otherwise no lymphadenopathy
Cardiac: S1 S2 regular. No S3 S4 or murmur.
Lungs: CTA w/o rales, wheezes, or rhonchi.
Case Study 3
A middle-aged female presents to the office complaining of strep throat. She states she suddenly developed a sore throat yesterday afternoon, and it has gotten worse since then. During the night she felt like she was chilled and feverish. She denies known recent contact with anyone else who had strep throat, but states she has had strep before and it feels like she has strep now. She takes no medications, but is allergic to penicillin. The physical examination reveals a slender female lying on the examination table. She has a temperature of 101 degrees Fahrenheit, heart rate of 112, respiratory rate of 22, and blood pressure of 96/64. The head, eyes, ears, nose, and throat evaluation is positive for bilateral tonsillar swelling without exudates. Her neck is supple with bilateral, tender, enlarged anterior cervical nodes.
To prepare:
Review the case studies provided in this week’s Resources.
You will either select or be assigned one of the three case studies provided.
Reflect on the provided patient information including history and physical exams.
Think about a differential diagnosis. Consider the role the patient history and physical exam played in your diagnosis.
Reflect on potential treatment options based on your diagnosis.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum
Week 5 Forum
Examining Chest X-Rays
Chest x-rays are an invaluable diagnostic tool as they can help identify common respiratory disorders such as pneumonia, pleural effusion, and tumors, as well as cardiovascular disorders such as an enlarged heart and heart failure. As an advanced practice nurse, it is important that you are able to differentiate a normal x-ray from an abnormal x-ray in order to identify these disorders. The ability to articulate the results of a chest x-ray with the physician, radiologist, and patient is an essential skill when facilitating care in a clinical setting. In this Forum, you practice your interprofessional collaboration skills as you interpret chest x-rays and exchange feedback with your colleagues.
Consider the three patient case studies and x-rays
Note: By Day 1 of this week, your Instructor will assign you to post on one of these patient case studies and x-rays:
Case Study 1
35-year-old Asian male presents to your clinic complaining of productive cough for two weeks. Stated he has had mild intermittent fever with myalgia, malaise and occasional nausea.
SH: works as a law clerk
PE: NP noted low grade fever (99 degrees), with very mild wheezing and scattered rhonchi.
An x-ray film is presented which shows a cloudy lung that appears slightly distended.
Case Study 2
This is a 44-year-old Caucasian male being seen at your clinics with complaints of complaints of cough for 4 days and worsening. Stated he has had high grade fever. States he feels weak and has been in bed most of the last two days. Complains of exertional dyspnea, followed by dyspnea at rest, non-productive cough and pleuritic chest pain
MEDS: Zovirax, Diflucan, magic mouth wash, Zofran, mycostatin, filgrastin
PMH: HTN, Hep C, HIV/AIDS, thrush
SH: Past IV Drug abuse; lives in a group home;
PE: VS: Ht: 5’7, Wt: 150#, BMI 23,
Anorexic male, febrile, tachypneic, tachycardic, with rales and rhonchi. You note decreased in breath sounds, dullness, and egophony
An x-ray film is presented which shows petechial markings on the lungs and which are cloudy in appearance.
Case Study 3
A 50 year old Caucasian female presents to the clinic with complaints of cough for almost 2 weeks. Positive productive green sputum with associated chills, sweating, and fever up to 101.5. She manages a daycare and states that many of the children have had upper respiratory symptoms in the last two weeks. PMH: DM diagnosed 7 years ago, controlled on medications.
MEDS: Glyburide 10mg qd
PE: She looks ill with continuous coughing and chills.
BP 100/80, T: 102, HR: 110; O2Sat 97% on RA.
Lungs: +Crackles, increased fremitus
Labs: CBC 17,000 cells/mm3 , blood sugar is 120
An x-ray film is presented which shows cloudiness on the lungs and which also shows some scarring on the lungs.
To prepare:
Review Part 10 of the Buttaro et al. text in this week’s Resources, as well as the provided x-rays.
Reflect on what you see in the x-ray assigned to you by the Course Instructor.
Consider whether the patient in your assigned x-ray has an enlarged heart, enlarged blood vessels, fluid in the lungs, and/or pneumonia in the lungs.
Walden NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life SpanWeek 2 Forum Week 7 Forum
Urinary Frequency
Urinary frequency is a genitourinary disorder that presents problems for adults across the lifespan. It can be the result of various systemic disorders such as diabetes, urinary tract infections, enlarged prostates, kidney infections, or prostate cancer. Many of these disorders have very serious implications requiring thorough patient evaluations. When evaluating patients, it is essential to carefully assess the patient’s personal, medical, and family history prior to recommending certain physical exams and diagnostic testing, as sometimes the benefits of these exams do not outweigh the risks. In this Forum, you examine a case study of a patient presenting with urinary frequency. Based on the provided patient information, how would you diagnose and treat the patient?
Case Study 1
A 52-year-old African American male presents to an urgent care center complaining of urinary frequency and nocturia. The symptoms have been present for several months and have increased in frequency over the past week. He has been unable to sleep because of the need to urinate at least hourly all day and night. He does not have a primary care provider and has not seen a doctor in more than 10 years. His father died when he was a child in an automobile accident, and his mother is 79 years old and has hypertension. The patient has no siblings. His social history includes the following: banker by profession, divorced father of two grown children, non-smoker, and occasionally consumes alcohol on weekends only.
Case Study 2
This is a 40 year old Hindu married male complaining of sudden high grade fever for the last 2 days. He is complaining of right flank pain with some burning on urination. PMH: diabetes, HTN. Current meds: metformin 500mg bid, Lisinopril 10mg QD
Case Study 3
A 52 year old woman presented to the clinic for ongoing fatigue and weight loss during the last 6 weeks. She thinks she’s loss at least “10 pounds”. For the past week and a half she’s noted some progressing ‘muscle cramping’ tetany, as well as ‘tingling’ sensation around her mouth and lower extremities. She’s also noted some intermittent colicky abdominal pain. On your exam, you noted a positive Chvostek’s sign. PMH: 20 year history of Crohn’s disease. She also tells you that she is a practicing vegan.
To prepare:
Review Part 13 and 17 of the Buttaro et al. text in this week’s Resources.
You will either select or be assigned to a patient case study for this Forum.
Review the patient case study and reflect on the information provided about the patient.
Think about the personal, medical, and family history you need to obtain from the patient in the case study. Reflect on what questions you might ask during an evaluation.
Consider types of physical exams and diagnostics that might be appropriate for evaluation of the patient in the study.
Reflect on a possible diagnosis for the patient.
Review the Marroquin article in this week’s Resources. If you suspect prostate cancer, consider whether or not you would recommend a biopsy.
Think about potential treatment options for the patient.
NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life Span
Week 9 Forum
Diagnosing Neurological Disorders
As an advanced practice nurse, you will likely observe patients who experience neurological disorders. Challenging to the diagnosis of neurological disorders is the realization that many manifestations of disease may not be overt physically.
For this Forum, consider the following three case studies of patients presenting with neurological disorders.
Case Study 1
80-year-old male Caucasian male brought to the clinic by his wife concerned about his “memory problems”. Per the wife, she has noticed his memory declining but has never interfered with his daily activities until now. He is unable to remember his appointments and heavily relies on written notes for reminder. Just last week, he got lost driving and was not found by his family until 8 hours later. He is unable to use his cell phone or recall his home address or phone number. He has become a “hermit” per his wife. He has withdrawn from participating with church activities and has become less attentive.
PMH: HTN, controlled
Prostate cancer 20 years ago
Dyslipidemia
SH: no alcohol or tobacco use; needs assistance with medications
PE: VS stable, physical exam unremarkable
Case Study 2
A 30-year-old Asian female presents to the clinic with headaches. History of headaches since her teen years. Headaches have become more debilitating recently. Describes the pain as sharp, worsens with light and accompanied by nausea and at times vomiting. Rates the pain as 7/10. Typically takes 2 tabs of OTC Motrin with ‘some help’. “Sleeping it off in a darkened room’ helps alleviate the headache. VS WNL, physical exam unremarkable.
Case Study 3
A 50-year-old African American male presents with complaints of dizziness left arm weakness and fatigue. PMH: poorly controlled diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia
PE: Upon exam, you noted a very mild dysarthria, he understands and follows commands very well. Mild weakness on the left side of the face is noted, and left sided homonymous hemianopsia but no ptosis or nystagmus or uvula deviation.
To Prepare:
You will either select or be assigned one of the three case studies provided.
Reflect on the provided patient information including history and physical exams.
Think about a differential diagnosis. Consider the role the patient history and physical exam played in your diagnosis.
Reflect on potential treatment options based on your diagnosis.
NURS6531 Advanced Practice Care of Adults Across the Life Span
Week 10 Forum
Examining Endocrine, Metabolic, and Hematologic Disorders
In the United States, 25.6 million adults age 20 years or older have diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2011). If not properly treated and managed, these millions of diabetic patients are at risk for several alterations including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy, and blindness. Proper treatment and management is the key for diabetic patients, and as the advanced practice nurse providing care for these patients, it is your responsibility to facilitate this process. Patient education is critical, as is working with patients to establish a regular pattern for daily activities such as eating and taking medications. When developing care plans for patients, you must keep the projected outcomes of treatment in mind, as well as patient preferences and other factors that might impact adherence to treatment and management plans. In this Forum, you draw from your Practicum Experience and consider factors that impact the education and treatment of patients with diabetes.
For this Forum, consider the following three case studies of patients presenting with endocrine, metabolic, and hematological disorders.
Case Study 1
An 82-year-old female presents to the office complaining of fatigue, dizziness, weakness, and increasing dyspnea on exertion. She has a past medical history of atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. Medications include warfarin 2 milligrams po daily, lisinopril 10 milligrams po daily, and simvastatin 10 milligrams po daily. There are no known drug allergies. The physical exam reveals a 5’2” older female. Her weight is 128 pounds, blood pressure is 144/80, heart rate is 98, temperature is 98 degrees Fahrenheit, and O2 saturation is 98%. Further examination reveals the following:
Eyes: + pallor conjunctiva
Cardiac: irregular rhythm. No S3 S4 or M. NO JVD
Lungs: CTA w/o rales, wheezes, or rhonchi
Abdomen: soft, BS +, + epigastric tenderness. No organomegaly, rebound, or guarding
Rectal: no stool in rectal vault
Case Study 2
A 78-year-old female presents to the emergency room after a fall 3 days ago. She recently had a right above-the-knee amputation and was leaning over to pick something up when she fell. She did not want to come to the hospital, but she is having difficulty managing at home because of the pain in her left leg where she fell. Her patient medical history reveals RAKA, peripheral vascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and stage 3 chronic kidney disease. Current medications include quinapril 20 milligrams PO daily, Lantus 30 units at bedtime, and Humalog to scale before meals. There are no known drug allergies. The physical exam is negative and x-rays reveal no acute injuries. Laboratory studies reveal a normal white blood cell count: Hgb of 8 and HCT 24. The MCV is normal.
Case Study 3
V.G. is a 47 year old African American male with type 2 diabetes diagnosed two years ago. He is for a follow up and complaining of increased tingling to the lower extremities. PMH: obesity, dyslipidemia, HTN. He quit smoking smoking two years ago. Denies any alcohol use. SH: lives with alone in a subsidized housing. He is a veteran and relies on food stamps and welfare. Works occasionally. MEDS: he lost his medications and hasn’t taken any in about a week. His chart indicates his is on Lisinopril 20mg, Januvia 50mg QD, Lipitor 40mg QD, PE: 5’9, BP: 160/100 RBG: 415.
To prepare:
Review Part 17 and 21 of the Buttaro et al. text in this week’s Resources.
You will either select or be assigned to a patient case study for this Forum.
Review the patient case study and reflect on the information provided about the patient.
Think about the personal, medical, and family history you need to obtain from the patient in the case study. Reflect on what questions you might ask during an evaluation.
Consider types of physical exams and diagnostics that might be appropriate for evaluation of the patient in the study.
Reflect on a possible diagnosis for the patient.
Think about potential treatment options for the patient.
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