child diagnosis

A Case Study for a Child with Respiratory Symptoms

When a person experiences problem with their health, it is always advisable that they seek medical attention. Seeking help from medical practitioners is a step towards healing, and in most cases, it reduces the chances of the illness progression. For children, parents are advised to seek help from specialized physicians. This paper analyzes a case study of a five-year girl showing symptoms of fever, cough, asthma, and other respiratory symptoms. It will give directions on the diagnostic approach to employ when evaluating this child, the most likely diagnosis, and the next step to evaluation.

Diagnostic Approach

In evaluating the child, a six-step diagnostic approach should be followed (Seladi-Schulman, 2018). First, the symptoms are identified. In this case, the child exhibits several symptoms, including fever, coughing, and high temperatures, among many others. It will help in identifying the underlying issues (Seshadri et al., 2019). Second, the physician should seek to know for how long the child has been exhibiting these symptoms. The third step is to identify the things that trigger the symptoms to make them better or worse. By this, it will give help in identifying the causes of the symptoms.

The fourth step is to listen from the family medical history. It includes identifying whether a family member has had the same symptoms in past (Maizlin & Somers, 2019). It is crucial to determine a solution for the child since some diseases have been considered genetic (Smith, 2015). The fifth step in the evaluation will be to know if the child is on any prescribed medications. It is a vital step as it enables the physician to know whether the medications are working or not. Also, it will enable not to replicate medications when prescribing. The last step is to identify whether there have been any current events or stressors in the child’s life. For instance, it could be the death of a lovely one or any disturbing event.

The most likely diagnosis

After evaluating the symptoms, an x-ray scan can be done to examine the child’s breathing system. The scan clearly shows pictures from different angles, and therefore it is highly recommended than a computed tomography (CT) scan (Robinson, 2020). In this case, it will show the lungs and all the structures of a breathing system. The physician will identify which organs are not in good condition and identify the root problem of the symptoms.

Next Step in Evaluation

After diagnosing the child with a particular ailment, the next step is to offer general advice to the child’s guardians and work on treatment. It involves a time for physicians to review each result of the diagnosis and discuss which type of treatments to administer. Hyde (2020) explains the phase as when medical practitioners get treatments approved and scheduled and prepare the patient and family for results as some results might be shocking. This step should be taken keenly, especially when deciding on the treatment to choose the child’s prescription. After deciding on treatment, the parents should be educated on key issues such as guides to medication prescription and any other vital information.

To sum up, seeking medical help is a step to preventing an illness’s progression. As in the case study, seeking medical attention will prompt a diagnosis in the child’s body organs that will underline problems associated with her condition. Therefore, it is crucial to perform a diagnosis on patients exhibiting serious health conditions. 

References

Hyde, M. (2015). What next? Next steps after a diagnosis. Retrieved from https://www.clfoundation.org/next-steps-after-diagnosis

Maizlin, N., & Somers, S. (2019). The Role of Clinical History Collected by Diagnostic Imaging Staff in Interpreting of Imaging Examinations. Journal Of Medical Imaging And Radiation Sciences, 50(1), 31-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmir.2018.07.009

Seshadri, S., Kishore, M., & Udipi, G. (2019). Clinical practice guidelines for assessment and management of intellectual disability. Indian Journal Of Psychiatry, 61(8), 194. https://doi.org/10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_507_18

Smith, D. (2015, November 11). Hereditary diseases list | General center | SteadyHealth.com. Retrieved from https://ic.steadyhealth.com/hereditary-diseases-list

Seladi-Schulman, J. (2018, May 11). The differential diagnosis is explained, plus examples. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/differential-diagnosis

Robinson, N. (2020, October 3). What are the different types of diagnostic tests? Retrieved from https://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-the-different-types-of-diagnostic-test.htm