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Physical Examination and Health Assessment - Canadian, 4th Edition

Authors :
Annette J. Browne & Carolyn Jarvis & June MacDonald-Jenkins & Marian Luctkar-Flude
Date of Publication: 01/2024
Learn how to take a clear, logical, and holistic approach to physical examination and health assessment across the lifespan! Using easy-to-follow language, detailed illustrations, summary checklists, and new learning resources, Physical Examination & ...view more

Learn how to take a clear, logical, and holistic approach to physical examination and health assessment across the lifespan! Using easy-to-follow language, detailed illustrations, summary checklists, and new learning resources, Physical Examination & Health Assessment, 4th Canadian Edition, is the gold-standard in physical examination textbooks. This new edition reflects today’s nursing practice with a greater focus on diverse communities, evidence-informed content throughout, and new and enhanced case studies focusing on critical thinking and clinical judgement. It's easy to see why this text is #1 with Canadian nursing students!

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Learn how to take a clear, logical, and holistic approach to physical examination and health assessment across the lifespan! Using easy-to-follow language, detailed illustrations, summary checklists, and new learning resources, Physical Examination & Health Assessment, 4th Canadian Edition, is the gold-standard in physical examination textbooks. This new edition reflects today’s nursing practice with a greater focus on diverse communities, evidence-informed content throughout, and new and enhanced case studies focusing on critical thinking and clinical judgement. It's easy to see why this text is #1 with Canadian nursing students!


New to this edition
  • UPDATED and UNIQUE! Case studies in every chapter — accompanied by questions, answers, and lab data — integrate chapter content to promote critical thinking, clinical judgement, and decision-making.
  • NEW! Expanded and updated information on emerging topics includes cannabis (Bill C-45); coronavirus (COVID-19); diverse populations (transgender, older adults, Indigenous peoples); elder abuse; interpersonal violence; cultural safety; human trafficking; and more.
  • UPDATED! Current, comprehensive coverage features Canadian statistics, research, references and resources, guidelines (including 2019 Canada’s Food Guide and 2020 Canadian Adult Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines), assessment and screening tools, technologies, and more.
  • NEW! Next Generation NCLEX® (NGN) content for RN and REx-PN® content for PN include book-specific case studies on Evolve to help you prepare for the NGN-RN or REx-PN® exam.
  • NEW! Specially designed learning tools in the text and on the Evolve companion website encourage the development of critical reasoning and clinical judgement, helping you succeed on your licensure exams at both the PN and RN levels.
  • NEW! TEACH for Nurses Canadian lesson plans incorporate instructor teaching and testing resources and student learning resources for RN and PN scopes of practice, including in-class case studies reflecting RN and PN competencies for each chapter.

Key Features
  • Approximately 150 normal and abnormal examination photos for the nose, mouth, throat, thorax, and pediatric assessment give you a fresh perspective on these key system examinations, with cultural diversity and developmental variations.
  • Social determinants of health considerations cover the shifting landscape of Canada’s populations with strategies for integrating social, economic, and ethnocultural diversity into students’ health assessments.
  • Assessment strategies relevant to Indigenous populations, harm reduction, nutrition, and transgender persons inform practitioners on respectful, complete care.
  • Sectional colour bars segment body systems according to content — Structure and Function, Subjective Data, Objective Data, Documentation and Critical Thinking, Abnormal Findings.
  • Documentation and critical thinking sections provide real world clinical examples of specific patients and how to document assessment findings.
  • Abnormal findings tables help you recognize, sort, and describe abnormalities.
  • Separate chapter on pregnancy provides a thorough foundation for assessing the pregnant patient.
  • Developmental Considerations sections highlight content specific to infants, children, adolescents, pregnant individuals, and older adults.
  • Content covering the electronic health record, charting, and narrative recording provides examples of how to document assessment findings.
  • Two-column format distinguishes normal findings from abnormal findings and uses full-colour, step-by-step photos to clarify examination techniques and expected findings.
  • Promoting Health boxes focus on this key aspect of Canadian health care.
  • Summary checklists offer reviews of key examination steps.

Author Information
By Carolyn Jarvis, PhD, APN, CNP, Professor Emerita, School of Nursing, Illinois Wesleyan University; Certified Nurse Practitioner (retired), Bloomington, Illinois; Annette J. Browne, RN, PhD, FCAHS, Professor and Distinguished University Scholar ,Associate Director, Graduate Programs School of Nursing University of British Columbia Vancouver, BC; June MacDonald-Jenkins, RN, BScN, MSc, Sr. Dean Faculty of Social and Community Services Principal, Lakeshore Campus Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning Toronto, Ontario and Marian Luctkar-Flude, RN, PhD, CCSNE, FCNEI, Associate Professor,Reznick Scholar, Health Professions Education,Faculty of Health Sciences,Queen's University School of Nursing Kingston, Ontario