3.2.7 Conclusion

As a care provider, you will form relationships with your clients over time, which means that you are well positioned to assess changes in client status. Therefore, it is important that you are constantly practicing effective observation techniques each and every time you visit your clients. Remember, however, that you are not a doctor and cannot diagnose your client. Therefore, it is important to always report changes to the medical care team through appropriate documentation, even if you believe a change is not significant. Sometimes a seemingly insignificant detail from a thorough report, when communicated to the right person, can make a huge difference to a client’s health.

In this chapter, you have learned:

• how to complete a head-to-toe assessment to detect changes in health
• how to observe changes in verbal, physical and mental status