This week, you will evaluate patients for the treatment of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders by focusing on specific patient case studies through a decision tree exercise. You will analyze the decisions you will make in the decision tree exercise and reflect on your experiences in proposing the recommended actions to address the health needs in the patient case study.

Learning Objectives

Students will:

• Evaluate patients for treatment of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders

• Analyze decisions made throughout the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders

• Justify decisions made throughout the diagnosis and treatment of patients with neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders

For your Assignment, your Instructor will assign you one of the decision tree interactive media pieces provided in the Resources. As you examine the patient case studies in this module’s Resources, consider how you might assess and treat patients presenting symptoms of neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

To Prepare

• Review the interactive media piece assigned by your Instructor.

• Reflect on the patient’s symptoms and aspects of the disorder presented in the interactive media piece.

• Consider how you might assess and treat patients presenting with the symptoms of the patient case study you were assigned.

• You will be asked to make three decisions concerning the diagnosis and treatment for this patient. Reflect on potential co-morbid physical as well as patient factors that might impact the patient’s diagnosis and treatment.

By Day 7 of Week 8

Write a 1- to 2-page summary paper that addresses the following:

• Briefly summarize the patient case study you were assigned, including each of the three decisions you took for the patient presented.

• Based on the decisions you recommended for the patient case study, explain whether you believe the decisions provided were supported by the evidence-based literature. Be specific and provide examples. Be sure to support your response with evidence and references from outside resources.

• What were you hoping to achieve with the decisions you recommended for the patient case study you were assigned? Support your response with evidence and references from outside resources.

• Explain any difference between what you expected to achieve with each of the decisions and the results of the decision in the exercise. Describe whether they were different. Be specific and provide examples.

• Use and cite at least 4 sources for the assignment.

• Please discuss each medication option listed in Decision Point 1. Why did you not choose the alternative options? What is the mechanism of action for each medication? What are first line FDA approved medications for the disease state?

• Case study assigned: YOU PICK

• Under Required Media, feel free to go through both interactive scenarios as many times as you would like. Pick ONE to write your paper on and discuss the points above.

http://cdnfiles.laureate.net/2dett4d/Walden/NURS/6521/05/mm/decision_trees/week_07/index.html

Link to assignment

http://cdnfiles.laureate.net/2dett4d/Walden/NURS/6521/05/mm/decision_trees/week_07/index.html