Neurological Assessment

The neurological assessment is a key component in the physical assessment of patients with neurological deficit. It helps the nurse to appreciate the normal cranial nerve functions and to detect the presence of any abnormalities. There are 12 pairs of cranial nerve. Assessment of cranial nerve depends upon patient’s diagnosis.

In 2005 a study tour, funded by a Florence Nightingale Foundation Travel Scholarship, was undertaken by the author to gain insight into the teaching of ‘History Taking and Physical Assessment’ (HTPA) across different countries of the UK and beyond. The study tour was inspired by recent developments in health professional practice, which increasingly require nurses and other health care professionals to undertake the

The nurses should know how to assess the patient and how to find out neurological abnormalities. The use of continuous assessment methods as a means of evaluating a student 's progress has been an integral part of basic nursing courses for some years now. In practice, this has often meant assessment of theoretical work in the form of essays, projects, and objective tests spread throughout the course. In the clinical areas, the assessment was usually based on specific skills tests, ward/unit reports and perhaps the one of the assessments in total patient care, managerial and teaching

M.Gokce MD Neurology Department, Medical School, University of Kahramanmaras Sutcu IK ahramanmaras, Turkey. The aim of this study was to assess the underlying causes of isolated cranial nerve (CN) manifestations in cancer patients. In a prospective study over a 16 month period, 20 of 242 patients presented with isolated CN manifestations, and were assessed for the following: primary site; CN symptoms and signs; length of time between primary diagnosis and neurological involvement; and survival following the neurological diagnosis. The most frequent primary site was determined as haematological malignancy (9/20). They included meningeaI carcinomatosis (brainstem metastases (3/16), primary brain astrocytomas (1/16), and metastases out of the central nervous system (2/16). The remaining four patients‘ CN manifestations related to non-metastatic conditions. Although most of the isolated CN manifestations were due to systemic metastasis, in particular to the meninges, up to 20% were related to benign