Concluding this information, I have established that the intellectual impacts of diabetes affect
service users a lot more than any other impacts due to the severity that brain damage can have on
individuals. Not only does brain atrophy cause cognitive decline but can lead to Alzheimer’s, seizures
of comas. These problems are life-changing and would have serious long term affects.
LAB
Examine the investigations and diagnosis of physiological disorder.
During Learning Aim B, I will be exploring the different ways of how health professionals investigate
to determine the nature of the service users’ condition and how they make a final diagnosis for the
patient. Some health conditions aren’t easily visible and hard to diagnose therefore professionals
carry out certain procedures to discover what the issue is.
Investigate procedures for physiological disorders
To detect what exactly is causing the service user to be unwell, health professionals must carry out
some general measurements to see if there is anything unusual within the readings. These
measurements are given as information if the patient is referred (on the occasion that the service
users’ problems intensify).
General measurements that may be undertaken
Standard measurements that are taken regularly (body temperature, pulse rate, blood pressure and
respiratory rate) are recorded numerically and graphically so that any variations or anomalies can be
spotted. However, many service providers use electronic digital recordings for measurements such
as: pulse rate, blood pressure and body temperature. Although electronic recordings are an efficient
way of recording measurements, they can be a hazard to the service user and the professional
operating them. Serious hazards include burns and electric shock. Preventing these accidents is
crucial and you must make sure that the equipment you’re using is safe and non-faulty. If a piece of
equipment is faulty, it must be reported in writing and verbally.
1. Blood pressure- Blood pressure is the measurement of the force applied to the artery walls
as blood move around your body. Blood pressure is measured using a piece of equipment
called a sphygmomanometer (sphyg). A sphyg gets put at the top of the service users’ arm,
once the button on the machine is pressed, the cuff will tighten and then release and the
sphyg reads the blood pressure and pulse rate. There are two types of blood pressure which
is recorded: systolic and diastolic. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure inside your arteries
when your heart is pumping. Diastolic blood pressure is the blood pressure inside your
arteries when your heart is resting between beats.
2. Body temperature- Measuring body temperature is important to take to ensure that your
body has a healthy temperature (36.5-37.2 degrees) and so your body can function at
maximum efficiency. Although different people have different temperatures, they all
average at the same number. Thermometers are the devices used to measure body
temperature and can detect whether the patient’s temperature is normal or not.
Thermometers are used in three ways: Oral (in the mouth), rectal (in the bottom) and
axillary (under the arm). If the patient’s temperature is abnormal, individuals can experience
hypothermia (when the core temperature drops below 36 ½ degrees) or hyperthermia
(when the core temperature is above 37 ½ degrees).
3. Medical history- An individual’s medical history is useful to healthcare professionals as it
gives a clear indication of the patient’s medical background and what their complaint is. The
, information provided by the patient should be obtained straight away and recorded for the
medical professional to note down any signs or symptoms that arise. The professional will
make a prediction based on the individual’s history and carry out tests to confirm their
diagnosis.
4. Blood Tests- Often when investigating a condition, blood tests will be taken to help diagnose
the patient. A blood sample is taken by a phlebotomist and will be sent to a lab to be tested
for the condition which the doctor suspects the patient has. To receive the blood sample,
phlebotomists can do it one of two ways. One, by venepuncture (extracting the blood
through a syringe in the vein), this takes large samples of blood and two, by a small lancet (a
device which takes small blood samples). Moreover, there are different types of blood tests
which can be taken to give us a better understanding of the patient’s diagnosis for example,
cancer blood tests and blood cholesterol tests.
5. Pulse rate- Your pulse is the pressure of your blood pushing against the wall of an artery as
the heart beats. Your pulse can be taken from several arteries around your body including
your temporal artery, brachial artery, radial artery, popliteal artery and dorsalis pedis artery.
A normal pulse rate for an adult is 60-90 beats per minute. Your pulse does not just indicate
heart rate but also your hearts rhythm and the strength of your pulse. To check your pulse,
place your first and second fingertips firmly onto your arteries until you find a pulse. Count
your pulse for 60 seconds and record your bpm.
Asthma
Blood pressure- When suffering with an asthma attack, your blood pressure if directly affected. This
Is because when your heart is pumping faster for more oxygen, your blood pressure increases due to
your lungs not having enough air. Although it isn’t common, there are some links between those
who suffer with hypertension as well as asthma. Taking blood pressure is a good measurement to do
on any patient that’s looking for a diagnosis, but there isn’t a direct connection between high bp and
asthma. That’s why it’s important to do more checks for other conditions when an individual has
this, such as obesity or kidney disease.
Body temperature- Extreme temperatures isn’t always a common sign of asthma. However,
sometimes an increase in temperature may occur because the excess mucus produced causes the
body to overheat. Furthermore, asthma may also affect your body temperature when the airways
are restricted and the blood carries heat away from the skin to help keep muscles warm (as they
need to make more energy due to the loss of oxygen). Measuring and detecting a low or high
temperature may indicate to doctors to further on diagnostic tests. However, measuring body
temperature for those with asthma may not be affective as other measurements. This is because
body temperature isn’t a direct effect of asthma and may indicate other issues, such as a fever or a
cold.
Medical history- Discussing your medical history with a health professional is an important step in
investigating and diagnosing asthma. Whether it’s your genetics or the symptoms you’re
experiencing, sharing this will help to narrow down the diagnostic. Questions your doctor may ask
include: What trigger your symptoms? Do you have relatives with asthma? Are you often exposed to
smoke or chemical fumes? Do you have any allergies? Asking these questions and checking previous
medical records will develop better understanding of the pattern of signs/symptoms that the patient
is experiencing. Using an individual’s medical history to determine whether they have asthma is a
very important procedure. This is because it is vital for a doctor to see if any of these past issues or
symptoms have any correlation to asthma. Nevertheless, due to insufficient communication or poor
