Assessment Tool Analysis Paper

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Assessment Tool Analysis Paper NUR 440 February 7, 2011 Peggy Taylor Assessment Tool Analysis Paper Assessment tools are used to evaluate, and help in intervening with a patient’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. They enable a nurse or other medical practitioners to help the vulnerable to make more informed choices that will make their life better. Assessment tools can be useful in improving the family dynamics, building more cohesive relationships, and promoting healthier lifestyles. There are of many of these assessment tools, some more effective than others, and it is the responsibility of the practitioner to see which is more likely to fit the dynamic of whatever situation one is attempting to resolve. The three assessment tools that I have selected are as follows: the family adaptability and cohesion scale, the Calgary family assessment model, and the health promoting lifestyle profile II. The family adaptability and cohesion scale also known as the family adaptability and cohesion evaluation scale (FACES), a measure of family functioning contains three scales: cohesion, adaptability, and social desirability (Alexander, Johnson, & Carter, 1984). Cohesion is defined as the emotional bonding that exists between family members, whereas adaptability is the family’s ability to change its power structure, role relationships, and rules to respond to situational or developmental needs (Place, 2005). This assessment tool can be used with families across the life-cycle from newlyweds with no children to retired couples. Family cohesion assesses degree of separation or connection of family members to the family. There are four levels of cohesion ranging from extreme low cohesion to extreme high cohesion: disengaged, separated, connected, and enmeshed. There are four levels of adaptability: rigid, structured, flexible, and chaotic. Family
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