Adolescent Patient

For this Assignment, you will work with an adolescent patient that you examined during the last 3 weeks and complete a Focused Note Template in which you will gather patient information, relevant diagnostic and treatment information, and reflect on health promotion and disease prevention in light of patient factors, such as age, ethnic group, past medical history (PMH), socio-economic status, cultural background, etc. In this week’s Learning Resources, please refer to the Focused Note resources for guidance on writing Focused Notes.

Adolescent Patient I saw this week:

A 16-year-old girl and her mother present to your office with concerns about irregular periods. The patient had her first menses at 12 years of age and had regular monthly periods until 6 months ago when her periods stopped. She has had an accompanying 50-pound weight loss over the past 6 months. When asked further about the weight loss, she reports that she has been working on more healthful eating, has cut all desserts and junk foods out of her diet, and eats a low-fat and low-carb diet. In addition she has started running 3 miles a day in order to “get healthy.” On physical exam her vital signs are temperature 36.4°C (97.5°F), heart rate 44 beats per minute, blood pressure 96/60 mm Hg, and respirations 16 breaths per minute. She appears thin, with sallow-looking skin and dry hair. She is bradycardic on exam, with no murmurs and a regular rhythm. Her heart rate increases by 19 beats during positional changes from sitting to standing, with minimal change in her blood pressure. Her pulses are strong and symmetric while her fingers and toes are cool to touch. Anorexia nervosa. Eating disorders are a common but often underdiagnosed condition in the pediatric population.

To prepare: 

· Review the Focused Note Checklist provided in this week’s Learning Resources and consider how you will develop your Focused Note for this week’s Assignment.

· Use the Focused SOAP Note Template and the example found in the Learning Resources for this week to complete this Assignment.

· Select an adolescent patient that you examined during the last 3 weeks. With this patient in mind, address the following in a Focused Note. 

Assignment

· Subjective: What details did the patient or parent provide regarding the personal and medical history? Include any discrepancies between the details provided by the child and details provided by the parent as well as possible reasons for these discrepancies.

· Objective: What observations did you make during the physical assessment? Include pertinent positive and negative physical exam findings. Describe whether the patient presented with any growth and development or psychosocial issues.

· Assessment: What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses. List them from highest priority to lowest priority and include their ICD-10 code for the diagnosis. What was your primary diagnosis and why?

· Plan: What was your plan for diagnostics and primary diagnosis? What was your plan for treatment and management? Include pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments, alternative therapies, and follow-up parameters as well as a rationale for this treatment and management plan.

· Reflection notes: What was your “aha” moment? What would you do differently in a similar patient evaluation?