NURS 6512 Case Study Assessing Neurological Symptoms

NURS 6512 Case Study Assessing Neurological Symptoms

Sample Answer for NURS 6512 Case Study Assessing Neurological Symptoms Included After Question

Imagine not being able to form new memories. This is the reality patients with anterograde amnesia face. Although this form of amnesia is rare, it can result from severe brain trauma. Anterograde amnesia demonstrates just how impactful brain disorders can be to a patient’s quality of living. Accurately assessing neurological symptoms is a complex process that involves the analysis of many factors.

In this Case Study Assignment, you will consider case studies that describe abnormal findings in patients seen in a clinical setting.

RESOURCES

Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.

WEEKLY RESOURCES

TO PREPARE

• By Day 1 of this week, you will be assigned to a specific case study for this Case Study Assignment. Please see the “Course Announcements” section of the classroom for your assignment from your Instructor.
• Also, your Case Study Assignment should be in the Episodic/Focused SOAP Note format rather than the traditional narrative style format. Refer to Chapter 2 of the Sullivan text and the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template in the Week 5 Learning Resources for guidance. Remember that all Episodic/Focused SOAP notes have specific data included in every patient case.

With regard to the case study you were assigned:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources, and consider the insights they provide about the case study.
• Consider what history would be necessary to collect from the patient in the case study you were assigned.
• Consider what physical exams and diagnostic tests would be appropriate to gather more information about the patient’s condition. How would the results be used to make a diagnosis?
• Identify at least fivepossible conditions that may be considered in a differential diagnosis for the patient.

THE CASE STUDY ASSIGNMENT

Use the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template and create an episodic/focused note about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned using the episodic/focused note template provided in the Week 5 resources. Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for each case. List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis, and justify why you selected each.

BY DAY 6 OF WEEK 9

Submit your Assignment.

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A Sample Answer For the Assignment: NURS 6512 Case Study Assessing Neurological Symptoms

Title: NURS 6512 Case Study Assessing Neurological Symptoms

SUBJECTIVE DATA:

 Chief Complaint (CC): “Very Forgetful”

History of Present Illness (HPI): N.S is a 67-year-old Asian male who was brought in by his daughter for psychiatric evaluation since he was very forgetful. She reports that the patient has lost his car keys several times. She also reports that sometimes when the patient goes to the store, he forgets his way back and calls for help. The patient claims that he started being forgetful about 2 years back, and it has been getting worse ever since as reported by his daughter. The patient denies any associated symptoms. No hallucination or delirium.

 

Medications:

1. Losartan 50mg PO once daily for the management of his high blood pressure.

 

Allergies:

No known drug, food, or environmental allergies

 

Past Medical History (PMH):

High Blood Pressure

 

Past Surgical History (PSH):

Denies ever undergoing any surgical procedure in the past.

 

Sexual/Reproductive History:

Heterosexual

 

Personal/Social History:

Married with a daughter and a son. His wife however passed on 2 years ago.

Retired but owned and ran his café downtown for several years.

He lives by himself, but the daughter lives next door and checks on him now and then.

Confirms taking one or two beers when with friends.

Denies smoking tobacco or using any other recreational drug.

 

Health Maintenance:

The patient used to exercise before by walking the dog, but ever since he started being forgetful, he does not remember the last time he went for a long walk. He however consumes a healthy diet which his daughter makes sure of. He uses a seat belt when in the care and lives in a well-maintained house. Confirms sleeping for about 8 hours every night.

 

Immunization History:

Flu shot 16/1/2022

Covid Vaccine #1 4/1/2021 #2 2/1/2021 Moderna

All other immunization up to date

Significant Family History:

The patient’s mother passed on at the age of 86 years due to cardiac arrest, upon receiving a report that her grandson had been involved in a car accident. His father is alive at the age of 94 years with a history of diabetes, dementia, arthritis, and thyroid disorder. Both his children are healthy with no significant history of any chronic medical condition.

 

Review of Systems:

General: Appears healthy with no signs of distress. No signs of fatigue, chills, fever, or generalized body weakness.

 

HEENT: Head: No signs of trauma or headache reported. Eyes: Denies blurred vision, use of corrective lenses, excessive tearing, or redness. Ears: No tinnitus, itchiness, or hearing loss. Nose: no congestion, running nose, sinus problems, or nose bleeding. Throat & Mouth: No sore throat, coughing, swallowing difficulties, or dental problems. Neck: No tenderness, signs of injury, enlarged tonsils, or a history of disc disease or compression.

 

Respiratory: No wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, or breathing difficulties.

 

CV: Denies chest pain, edema, orthopnea, syncope, or palpitations. Dyspnea on exertion

 

GI: No abdominal tenderness, constipation, diarrhea, distention, changes in bowel movement, or jaundice.

 

GU: Denies incontinence, urinary frequency, hematuria, dysuria, or burning sensation when urinating.

 

MS: Denies back pain, with a full range of movement in all the extremities. No signs of spinal code injury.

 

Psych: Denies paranoia, hallucinations, delirium, suicidal ideation, mental disturbance, memory loss, anxiety or depression, or a history of psychosis.

 

Neuro: Denies vertigo, tremors, syncope, seizures, paresthesia, or transient paralysis.

 

Integument/Heme/Lymph: No bruising, ecchymosed, ulcers, lesions, or rashes. No signs of enlarged lymph nodes.

 

Endocrine: Denies heat intolerance, cold intolerance, polyuria, polyphagia, or polydipsia.

 

Allergic/Immunologic: Denies hay fever, urticaria, or persistent infections.

 

OBJECTIVE DATA:

 

Physical Exam:

 

Vital signs: T: 97.7°F (36.5°C), BP: 125/70 mm Hg, HR 70/min, R: 18/min, memory loss 8/10. Ht. 5’9’’, Wt. 179 pounds, BMI: 23.5

 

General: N.S appears healthy and well cooperative through the examination with a pleasant mood. He experiences no chills, fever, fatigue, or recent changes in body weight.

 

Chest/Lungs: Lungs are clear to auscultation and percussion bilaterally. No rhonchi or wheezing.

 

Heart/Peripheral Vascular: S1 and S2 present. No rubs, gallops, or murmurs. Regular rate and rhythm

 

Lymphatics: No signs of enlarged lymph nodes.

                       

Neurological: The CN II-VII and the DTR are undamaged. Denies headache, syncope, or dizziness. Confirms worsening memory loss for the past 2 years

 

Psychiatric: Denies feeling hopeless, or having suicidal ideations. Confirms being in mild distress due to memory loss leading to cognitive impairment.

 

Diagnostic results:

TSH – To determine if the patient memory loss is associated with hypothyroidism.

MRI of the head – To assess whether there is any form of damage to the neurotransmitters or the presence of any form of brain cell tumor.

Cerebral angiography – To measure the blood flow through the brain for any signs of deficiencies.

Amyloid imaging –

Cognitive test – To determine whether the patient’s memory loss is associated with anxiety or distress (Bruno, 2020).

 

ASSESSMENT:

 

1. Alzheimer’s disease: Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurologic disorder that leads to atrophy of the brain and death of brain cells (Glymour et al., 2018). This disorder is the most common form of dementia among the elderly above the age of 65 years. It is characterized by significant cognitive deterioration which undermines the patient’s ability to sustain independent living. The diagnosis of this disorder is based on three stages, with the first stage regarded as the preclinical stage with no symptoms. The second stage which is referred to as the middle stage is characterized by mild cognitive impairment, whereas the final stage is characterized by marked symptoms of dementia. The patient in the provided case study presents with worsening memory loss, for the past two years, which indicates the final stage of Alzheimer’s as the primary diagnosis.
2. Vascular cognitive impairment (VCI): This is a disorder of the mind with undermines the patient’s mental ability to think, feel and be awake (Ghafar et al., 2019). VCI presents with cognitive symptoms ranging from being forgetful in mild cases. However, in severe cases, patients may present with serious cognitive impairments leading to problems with memory, attention, language, and executive functions such as problem-solving. The patient in the provided case study reports being forgetful, However, cognitive testing is required to confirm this diagnosis.
3. Vascular dementia: This refers to a decline in the patients thinking skills due to conditions that reduce or block the flow of blood to various parts of the brain, depriving them of nutrients and oxygen (Bruno, 2020). Patients will present with symptoms such as forgetfulness, poor balance, confusion, and disorientation among others. The patient in the provided case study however presented with forgetfulness only, with no associated symptoms.
4. Idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (INPH): This is a disorder of the brain characterized by impairment of the patient’s gait, urinary incontinence, and decline in cognitive function. It is normally associated with ventriculomegaly in the absence of increased cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) pressure (Kockum et al., 2020). Forgetfulness and confusion are one of the most common early symptoms, among others such as depression, trouble walking, poor balance, and falling. Neuroimaging with either CT or MRI is however required to confirm this diagnosis to assess for hydrocephalus pressure.
5. Lewy body dementia (LBD): It is a rare disease associated with abnormal deposition of alpha-synuclein in the brain. These deposits, known as Lewy bodies lead to a progressive decline in the patient’s cognitive ability (Gan et al., 2021). Patients will present with common signs and symptoms such as memory loss, tremors, slow movement, muscle rigidity, loss of coordination, and reduced facial expression. However, the diagnosis of this disorder requires the patient to present with declining thinking ability in addition to at least two of the following symptoms, parkinsonian symptoms, repeated visual hallucinations, and fluctuating alertness.

 

PLAN: This section is not required for the assignments in this course (NURS 6512), but will be required for future courses.

References

Bruno, A. (2020). Forgetfulness. The Family Nurse Practitioner: Clinical Case Studies, 245-249. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119603238.ch10.1

Gan, J., Liu, S., Wang, X., Shi, Z., Shen, L., Li, X., … & Ji, Y. (2021). Clinical characteristics of Lewy body dementia in Chinese memory clinics. BMC neurology, 21(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-021-02169-w

Ghafar, M. Z. A. A., Miptah, H. N., & O’Caoimh, R. (2019). Cognitive screening instruments to identify vascular cognitive impairment: A systematic review. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 34(8), 1114-1127. https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.5136

Glymour, M. M., Brickman, A. M., Kivimaki, M., Mayeda, E. R., Chêne, G., Dufouil, C., & Manly, J. J. (2018). Will biomarker-based diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease maximize scientific progress? Evaluating proposed diagnostic criteria. European Journal of Epidemiology, 33(7), 607-612. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-018-0418-4

Kockum, K., Virhammar, J., Riklund, K., Söderström, L., Larsson, E. M., & Laurell, K. (2020). Diagnostic accuracy of the iNPH Radscale in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus. PLoS One, 15(4), e0232275. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0232275

By Day 6 of Week 9

Submit your Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

 

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Rubric Detail

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Content

Name: NURS_6512_Week_9_Assignment1_Rubric

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		Excellent	Good	Fair	Poor
Using the Episodic/Focused SOAP Template: · Create documentation or an episodic/focused note in SOAP format about the patient in the case study to which you were assigned.·  Provide evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for your case.		Points Range: 45 (45%) – 50 (50%) The response clearly, accurately, and thoroughly follows the SOAP format to document the patient in the assigned case study. The response thoroughly and accurately provides detailed evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for the patient in the assigned case study.	Points Range: 39 (39%) – 44 (44%) The response accurately follows the SOAP format to document the patient in the assigned case study. The response accurately provides detailed evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for the patient in the assigned case study.	Points Range: 33 (33%) – 38 (38%) The response follows the SOAP format to document the patient in the assigned case study, with some vagueness and inaccuracy. The response provides evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for the patient in the assigned case study, with some vagueness or inaccuracy in the evidence selected.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 32 (32%) The response incompletely and inaccurately follows the SOAP format to document the patient in the assigned case study. The response provides incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing evidence from the literature to support diagnostic tests that would be appropriate for the patient in the assigned case study.
·   List five different possible conditions for the patient’s differential diagnosis, and justify why you selected each.		Points Range: 30 (30%) – 35 (35%) The response lists five distinctly different and detailed possible conditions for a differential diagnosis of the patient in the assigned case study and provides a thorough, accurate, and detailed justification for each of the five conditions selected.	Points Range: 24 (24%) – 29 (29%) The response lists four to five different possible conditions for a differential diagnosis of the patient in the assigned case study and provides an accurate justification for each of the five conditions selected.	Points Range: 18 (18%) – 23 (23%) The response lists three to four possible conditions for a differential diagnosis of the patient in the assigned case study, with some vagueness and/or some inaccuracy in the conditions and/or justification for each.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 17 (17%) The response lists three or fewer, or is missing, possible conditions for a differential diagnosis of the patient in the assigned case study, with inaccurate or missing justification for each condition selected.
Written Expression and Formatting – Paragraph Development and Organization: Paragraphs make clear points that support well-developed ideas, flow logically, and demonstrate continuity of ideas. Sentences are carefully focused–neither long and rambling nor short and lacking substance. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement and introduction are provided that delineate all required criteria.		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity. A clear and comprehensive purpose statement, introduction, and conclusion are provided that delineate all required criteria.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 80% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment are stated, yet are brief and not descriptive.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity 60%–79% of the time. Purpose, introduction, and conclusion of the assignment are vague or off topic.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Paragraphs and sentences follow writing standards for flow, continuity, and clarity < 60% of the time. No purpose statement, introduction, or conclusion were provided.
Written Expression and Formatting – English writing standards: Correct grammar, mechanics, and proper punctuation		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation with no errors.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Contains several (3 or 4) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Contains many (≥ 5) grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that interfere with the reader’s understanding.
Written Expression and Formatting – The paper follows correct APA format for title page, headings, font, spacing, margins, indentations, page numbers, running heads, parenthetical/in-text citations, and reference list.		Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Uses correct APA format with no errors.	Points Range: 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Contains a few (1 or 2) APA format errors.	Points Range: 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Contains several (3 or 4) APA format errors.	Points Range: 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Contains many (≥ 5) APA format errors.
Total Points: 100

Lopes Write Policy

For assignments that need to be submitted to Lopes Write, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.

Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.

Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?

Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.

Late Policy

The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.

Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.

If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.

I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.

As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.

Communication

Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:

Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.

Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed
• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• Student paper example
• Citing Sources
• The Writing Center is a great resource