The assessment process in medical settings is a crucial step in determining the patient’s health status and the appropriate care plan. There are different types of assessments that medical professionals use to gather relevant patient information, such as physical, psychological, sociological, and spiritual data .
Nurses, for instance, perform four types of nursing assessments: head-to-toe admission assessment, routine head-to-toe assessment, focused nursing assessments, and emergency assessments ?. The initial assessment is the most comprehensive and is usually done when a patient first arrives for care. It involves a thorough review of the patient’s medical history, physical examination, and other relevant information ?.
Psychological assessments are another type of medical assessment that can include numerous components such as norm-referenced psychological tests, informal tests and surveys, interview information, school or medical records, medical evaluation, and observational data .
Medical office assistants also perform clinical procedures such as checking vital signs and measuring height and weight to determine an ideal weight for each patient .