Anatomy and Physiology Review
Unique anatomy and physiology of infants, toddlers, preschool, school age, adolescence, early adulthood, middle adulthood and late adulthood
- Unique Infant A&P
- Size and proportion
- Airway and breathing differences
- Primal reflexes of an infant
- Sucking, Moro reflex, rooting reflex, palmar reflex
- Skeletal differences
- Unique toddler and preschooler A&P
- Moving from infant A&P toward adult A&P
- Airway and breathing differences
- Skeletal differences
- Unique A&P of adolescence and early adulthood
- Adolescent growth spurts
- Pinnacle of physical condition
- Unique A&P of middle and late adulthood
- Decreasing physical condition
- Physiological milestones (menopause)
- System deterioration with aging
Psychosocial Development Review
- Infant
- Time of great change
- Caregiver bonding and separation/stranger anxiety
- Reacts to environment
- Communication challenges
- Toddler/preschooler
- Limited logic (cause and effect)
- Strong separation/stranger anxiety
- Rapidly increasing language capability
- School age and adolescents
- Logic and language
- Self-esteem issues
- Shift toward peers
- Middle and early adulthood
- Focus moves beyond self
- Facing life and family challenges
- Late adulthood
- Wide range of cognitive capabilities
- End-of-life issues
Vital Signs and Lifespan
- Infants, toddlers, preschool: Faster heart and respiratory rates, lower blood pressure
- School age, adolescent, and early to late adulthood: Define normal vital sign values
- Late adulthood: Consider system changes, chronic diseases and effects of medications
- Recognize key thresholds (HR of 60 is nonperfusing in a child or infant)
Lifespan Assessment Challenges
- Understand baselines and expectations
- Use caregivers to help establish baselines
- Adjust baseline expectation to physiologic norms and psychosocial development
- Consider psychosocial development
- Anticipate communication challenges
- Anticipate separation/stranger anxiety
- Consider the effect of peers and self-esteem
- Consider larger life challenges
- Use references to guide normal values (especially vital signs)
- Consider the effects of aging
- Consider (but do not assume) communication challenges
- Recognize the physiological effects of aging
- Recognize the impact of chronic illness
- Consider the effects of medications