Carrying out an accurate health assessment and ability to have the aptitude for separating distinctive or ordinary from abnormal findings are the most significant roles for not only nurses but other healthcare professionals. One of the core principles of the nursing field is to provide quality medical services to the patients.  This paper delves at identifying the histories of health assessment and addressing the potential results of both the tympanic membrane and thyroid gland through utilization of the interior and posterior evaluation methods.

Health Assessment

The best tool nurses can use in separating normal from abnormal data which needs skills and continuous practice to master is the health assessment tool. It is a tool used by all health workers to get the best data for a patient. When conducted in the correct manner, health tools gives accurate results. Through a systematic and skillful assessment, nurses can acquire patient’s symptoms description, the development of the symptoms, and the procedure of locating any correlated physical findings that will assist in the event of a different diagnosis (Jarvis, 2016). The process of health assessment exploits both objective and subjective data. An accurate evaluation entails visible and quantifiable data obtained by nurses or other healthcare professionals by the use of their senses. In other words, patients are not verbalizing this data; for example, a patient who cries and holds his or her ear because of pain.

On the other hand, a subjective assessment is centered on the changeable reports, commonly verbalized, that the patient provides. For instance, a patient may state verbally that they are feeling some pain inside their ear. Here the nurse or doctor is supposed first to believe what the patient is saying before embarking on more diagnosis.

Nurses conduct few types of health assessment histories which comprise of a complete or comprehensive health assessment, abbreviated or interval assessment, special populations assessment, problem-focused assessment (Forbes & Watt, 2015).  In a health center, the client’s data is fundamental. It helps to know the treatment records of the client. For example, health records can show that the same client suffered from the same condition some years back. A comprehensive health assessment begins with first obtaining the physical exam and the health history of the patient. Various comprehensive assessments portray the physical, medical and psychological needs and conditions of the patient in detail. The abbreviated or interval evaluation is performed at successive visits when there is the transfer of the patient or a change in shifts. Forbes & Watt (2015) explains that this kind of assessment can be beneficial since it serves in allowing the nurse to assess the patient thoroughly in a short duration f time. A problem-focused evaluation is typically specified after the completion of the comprehensive assessment and identification of the potential health problem (Forbes & Watt, 2015). A unique population assessment comprises of the children, elderly patients, pregnant patients, and infants.

Tympanic Membrane

This membrane is also referred to as the eardrum and forms part of one of the most significant parts of the ear. It is a thin translucent covering with a gleaming gray color. It also has a cone of light which is located at the anteroinferior quadrant membrane isolating the center ear and the outer ear in individuals (Maerz & Gainsburg, 2016). It serves the purpose of transmitting from the air to the ossicles within the middle segment of the ear, and after that to the oval window inside the cochlea (liquid filled). Individuals with missing or ruptured tympanic layers have the trouble of hearing or at times can have a total hearing loss. The ear is one of the most important organs in our bodies. People are advised to be very careful when cleaning their ears to avoid damaging the tympanic membrane. It is very sensitive, and a slight mistake can lead to hearing loss.

A common finding was resulting from a perforated or ruptured tympanic membrane comprised of middle ear infection or the otitis media. This refers to the buildup of fluid inside the eardrum. Barotrauma can also be a possible finding of a fractured tympanic membrane. This type of rapture takes place when stress is exerted on the eardrum when the pneumatic force inside the environment and the air pressure inside the center ear are out of balance (Ahmed, El-Sharkawy & El-Rahman, 2017). Barotrauma, on the other hand, can arise when scuba diving, which results from the air pressure, changes from the impact as a result of an accident or when flying in an airplane. Severe head trauma, having strange objects inside the middle ear; common in kids, and acoustic trauma including gunshots or even loud explosions or fireworks (Ahmed, El-Sharkawy & El-Rahman, 2017).

Thyroid Gland

This refers to a large, butterfly-shaped ductless gland which is located in the bottom of the neck.  Its function is secretion of hormones which helps in growth development, and it also assists in maintaining the metabolism of the body. Our bodies need to excrete waste products to remain healthy. Various organs are involved in body metabolism, and thyroid gland is one of them. Its examination can be conducted by utilization of one of the two available methods. Children who have slow growth mostly suffer from this condition.

The first method is the anterior method which refers to the positioning of the examiner in front of the patient to carry out the palpation of the thyroid gland. In this case, the patient is instructed by the examiner to either sit or stand in a relaxed position.  This simple process can only be performed when the patient is in good moods and relaxed. When relaxed, the blood flows well, and the nurse is more likely to achieve the desired results. After that, by using their fingers on one hand, the patient will feel each lateral lobe like this to remove out the sternocleidomastoid muscle posteriorly while at the same time utilizing the different hand fingers in locating and contacting the underlying thyroid. From that location, it is possible to palpate the isthmus by requesting the patient to swallow (Zaidi et al., 2016).

Examination of the thyroid from a posterior angle or the back of the patient would be the same as that of the anterior process of examining thyroid. Nonetheless, this examination will be conducted in a somewhat different style. In this sense, it is the examiner to position themselves behind the patient with the neck of the patient slightly bent forward to relax the sternocleidomastoid muscles (Zaidi et al., 2016). The examiner is supposed to make sure that the patient lies in a slightly lower position. If the patient is taller than the examiner, he can bend over or kneel to give easy access for the examiner.

The examiner after that places their fingers from both hands of the neck of the patient; this implies that the pointer finger would be underneath the cricoid cartilage. After that, the patient would be requested to swallow to enable the examiner in feeling and locating the thyroid isthmus which rises from beneath the finger pads of the examiners. As the patients swallow the saliva, the doctor can feel the movement and be able to locate the thyroid.  The trachea would then be uprooted to one side using the left-hand finger by the examiner. And by using the right-hand finger, palpate crossways for the thyroid’s right robe from the space located in between the casual sternocleidomastoid muscle and the dislodged trachea (Zaidi et al., 2016). The process will then be repeated in examining the left lobe of the thyroid gland. This process is, and the doctor is supposed to happen two to three times to get the best results.

In summary, Health assessment is an essential process that is carried out by the aid of trained medical personnel or a doctor. One of the crucial thing in life is to make sure that our health is up to date.  The significance of this examination helps in creating a correct exact determination and analysis of a medical condition. This paper focused on health assessment, health assessment histories and also studied thyroid glands and tympanic membrane, and the conditions encountered by these glands and conducting the estimate for the said conditions.