Table of ContentsIntroductionComponents of Comprehensive Health Assessment and Its MeaningPsychosocial AssessmentNutritional AssessmentConclusionIntroductionHealth assessment is important in clinical nursing practice. A comprehensive health assessment can help identify the patient's needs and thus develop an individual care plan for them. There are mainly six components of a comprehensive health assessment, namely psychosocial assessment, nutritional assessment, spiritual assessment, developmental assessment, cultural assessment and physical assessment. The details are as follows. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayThe components of comprehensive health assessment and their importancePsychosocial assessment involves assessing the physical, social, mental state , spiritual, emotional and functional capacity of a person in the community. By knowing all aspects of the patient's life, she helps determine the appropriate nursing care and treatment plan for the patient (Roberts, 2013). Nutritional assessment involves determining the nutritional status of a person with reference to anthropometric measurements, biochemical characteristics, clinical data, dietary practices, medical history. It can define whether the patient is nourished or malnourished. By monitoring the evolution of the patient's nutritional status, it helps prevent, promote health and identify high-risk patients (Encyclopedia, 2019). Spiritual assessment involves identifying spiritual or religious needs, beliefs, positive and negative experiences, and mental well-being. It can offer another means of support and thus bring great relief to suffering patients (Saguil & Phelps, 2012). Developmental assessment involves testing cognitive abilities, communication, emotional, behavioral functioning, social, motor and sensory, and adaptive interaction. SKILLS. It can help identify possible developmental problems and provide early diagnosis and intervention (New York State, 1999). Cultural assessment involves assessing a person's cultural values, beliefs, traditions and lifestyle. By understanding the patient's cultural needs and preferences, accepting and respecting their cultural diversity, it allows the nursing care plan to be individualized and thus provide unique care (Spring Institute, 2019). Physical assessment involves performing a head-to-toe physical examination by inspection, palpation, percussion, and auscultation to gather information. After obtaining the physical data of the patient, it can check for any abnormal results and help identify the diagnosis and thus treat the disease quickly (Brookside Associates, 2007). Psychosocial assessment For the mental dimension, Paul's physical appearance can be observed. For example, observing one's grooming and cleanliness, which can indicate one's ability to care for oneself. Additionally, by observing his gait, posture, awareness, alertness, body odor, he can determine whether he is affected by alcohol consumption or not. By asking Paul to describe his illness, his speech can show his logical thinking, organization, and reasoning. Medical history may also be questioned to understand why Paul is claiming to be tired and thus affecting his work, and ask about any current treatment or recovery plans regarding this. In the emotional dimension, ask Paul about any concerns or problemspre-existing psychosocial, as well as any problems. a change in emotion or depressive symptoms, as this can cause psychosocial distress or even psychiatric illness. Also ask Paul to describe and list all sources of stress, for example financial, health, marital, social, relationship problems, job stability, and to identify any relaxation techniques, for example sport, and methods, such as subsidies, to resolve these problems. Encourage Paul to participate in some activities, meet new friends, and find a soul mate for emotional support to express his lonely, hopeless, and worthless feelings. Concerning the social dimension, interpersonal relationships, structure and family history can be questioned. How is the relationship going during the previous marriage, do you have children? Additionally, the relationship between Paul's parents or any other siblings may be questioned. Family support is crucial for the person's psychosocial health because they know you better and can provide emotional support. Additionally, ask to describe the relationship between friends or colleagues, that they can help and provide social support to Paul. As for the spiritual dimension, Paul's religious and spiritual beliefs, his cultural background and his thoughts on life and the future can be questioned. Their thoughts and beliefs can affect their psychosocial well-being. Apart from this, there are assessment tools that can be used in psychosocial assessment. The Psychological Well-Being Scale developed by psychologist Carol Ryff can be used to determine a person's psychosocial well-being. The scale consists of six components: autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relationships with others, purpose in life, self-acceptance. There are 42 questions to assess how the patient describes their life and themselves. For example, for self-acceptance, a higher score means the patient has a positive attitude toward themselves, while a low score reflects dissatisfaction with life. In a nutshell, a higher score indicates greater physiological well-being for each category (Seifert, 2005). Various internal and external factors can influence a person's psychosocial health. In Paul's case, he is experiencing stress which affects his physical health and fitness, making him tired and unable to work. In addition, stress changes one's lifestyle, eating habits and sleeping habits. The emotional changes even make him addicted to alcohol. Paul's role changes after his bankruptcy and divorce. He feels alone, socially isolated and emotionally disturbed. This is why stress management is necessary and can improve psychosocial well-being. Additionally, the divorce made Paul introverted. Loss of family support means a loss of feelings of self-worth, love and emotional support. Interdependent relationships, e.g. family, friends, colleagues, are disrupted after a recent change in Paul's life. Additionally, his low economic status makes Paul feel hopeless and worthless, difficult to meet his daily needs. All of these factors can cause Paul to experience psychosocial distress. Nutritional Assessment Nutritional history may be requested to assess the patient's nutritional status. A 24-hour dietary recall is one of the methods to evaluate foods and drinks consumed the previous day. During the recall, the patient is asked to remember in detail all the foods and drinks they have consumed in the past 24 hours. The open-ended question is designed to obtain a complete and detailed recall of the diet.