Assignment: Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

An important consideration when working with patients is their cultural background. Understanding an individual’s culture and personal experiences provides insight into who the person is and where he or she may progress in the future. Culture helps to establish a sense of identity, as well as to set values, behaviors, and purpose for individuals within a society. Culture may also contribute to a divide between specific interpretations of cultural behavior and societal norms. What one culture may deem as appropriate another culture may find inappropriate. As a result, it is important for advanced practice nurses to remain aware of cultural considerations and interpretations of behavior for diagnosis, especially with reference to substance-related disorders. At the same time, PMHNPs must balance their professional and legal responsibilities for assessment and diagnosis with such cultural considerations and interpretations.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

For this Assignment, you will practice assessing and diagnosing a patient in a case study who is experiencing a substance-related or addictive disorder. With this and all cases, remember to consider the patient’s cultural background.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

To Prepare:

• Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide.
• Review the Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation template, which you will use to complete this Assignment.
• By Day 1 of this week, select a specific video case study to use for this Assignment from the Video Case Selections choices in the Learning Resources. View your assigned video case and review the additional data for the case in the “Case History Reports” document, keeping the requirements of the evaluation template in mind.
• Consider what history would be necessary to collect from this patient.
• Consider what interview questions you would need to ask this patient.
• Identify at least three possible differential diagnoses for the patient.

Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation, including your differential diagnosis and critical-thinking process to formulate primary diagnosis.

Incorporate the following into your responses in the template:

• Subjective: What details did the patient provide regarding their chief complaint and symptomology to derive your differential diagnosis? What is the duration and severity of their symptoms? How are their symptoms impacting their functioning in life? (Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
• Objective: What observations did you make during the psychiatric assessment?  
• Assessment: Discuss the patient’s mental status examination results. What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses with supporting evidence, listed in order from highest priority to lowest priority. Compare the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each differential diagnosis and explain what DSM-5-TR criteria rules out the differential diagnosis to find an accurate diagnosis. Explain the critical-thinking process that led you to the primary diagnosis you selected. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
• Reflection notes: What would you do differently with this client if you could conduct the session over? Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), health promotion and disease prevention taking into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.)
• Conclusion

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE EXEMPLAR AND TEMPLATE—READ CAREFULLY

If you are struggling with the format or remembering what to include, follow the Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Template AND the Rubric as your guide. It is also helpful to review the rubric in detail in order not to lose points unnecessarily because you missed something required. Below highlights by category are taken directly from the grading rubric for the assignment in Weeks 4–10. After reviewing the full details of the rubric, you can use it as a guide.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

In the Subjective section, provide:

•      Chief complaint

•      History of present illness (HPI)

•      Past psychiatric history

•      Medication trials and current medications

•      Psychotherapy or previous psychiatric diagnosis

•      Pertinent substance use, family psychiatric/substance use, social, and medical history

•      Allergies

•      ROS

•      Read rating descriptions to see the grading standards! 

In the Objective section, provide:

•      Physical exam documentation of systems pertinent to the chief complaint, HPI, and history

•      Diagnostic results, including any labs, imaging, or other assessments needed to develop the differential diagnoses.

•      Read rating descriptions to see the grading standards!

In the Assessment section, provide:

•      Results of the mental status examination, presented in paragraph form.

•      At least three differentials with supporting evidence. List them from top priority to least priority. Compare the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each differential diagnosis and explain what DSM-5-TR criteria rules out the differential diagnosis to find an accurate diagnosis. Explain the critical-thinking process that led you to the primary diagnosis you selected. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

•      Read rating descriptions to see the grading standards!

Reflect on this case. Include: Discuss what you learned and what you might do differently. Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), social determinates of health, health promotion and disease prevention taking into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.). (Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

(The comprehensive evaluation is typically the initial new patient evaluation. You will practice writing this type of note in this course. You will be ruling out other mental illnesses so often you will write up what symptoms are present and what symptoms are not present from illnesses to demonstrate you have indeed assessed for all illnesses which could be impacting your patient. For example, anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, bipolar symptoms, psychosis symptoms, substance use, etc.) EXEMPLAR BEGINS HERE

CC (chief complaint): A brief statement identifying why the patient is here. This statement is verbatim of the patient’s own words about why presenting for assessment. For a patient with dementia or other cognitive deficits, this statement can be obtained from a family member.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

HPI: Begin this section with patient’s initials, age, race, gender, purpose of evaluation, current medication and referral reason. For example:

N.M. is a 34-year-old Asian male presents for psychiatric evaluation for anxiety. He is currently prescribed sertraline which he finds ineffective. His PCP referred him for evaluation and treatment.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Or

P.H., a 16-year-old Hispanic female, presents for psychiatric evaluation for concentration difficulty. She is not currently prescribed psychotropic medications. She is referred by her therapist for medication evaluation and treatment.

Then, this section continues with the symptom analysis for your note. Thorough documentation in this section is essential for patient care, coding, and billing analysis.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Paint a picture of what is wrong with the patient. First what is bringing the patient to your evaluation.  Then, include a PSYCHIATRIC REVIEW OF SYMPTOMS.  The symptoms onset, duration, frequency, severity, and impact. Your description here will guide your differential diagnoses. You are seeking symptoms that may align with many DSM-5-TR diagnoses, narrowing to what aligns with diagnostic criteria for mental health and substance use disorders.

Past Psychiatric History: This section documents the patient’s past treatments. Use the mnemonic Go Cha MP.

General Statement: Typically, this is a statement of the patients first treatment experience. For example: The patient entered treatment at the age of 10 with counseling for depression during her parents’ divorce. OR The patient entered treatment for detox at age 26 after abusing alcohol since age 13.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Caregivers are listed if applicable.

Hospitalizations: How many hospitalizations? When and where was last hospitalization? How many detox? How many residential treatments? When and where was last detox/residential treatment? Any history of suicidal or homicidal behaviors? Any history of self-harm behaviors?

Medication trials: What are the previous psychotropic medications the patient has tried and what was their reaction? Effective, Not Effective, Adverse Reaction? Some examples: Haloperidol (dystonic reaction), risperidone (hyperprolactinemia), olanzapine (effective, insurance wouldn’t pay for it)

Psychotherapy or Previous Psychiatric Diagnosis: This section can be completed one of two ways depending on what you want to capture to support the evaluation. First, does the patient know what type? Did they find psychotherapy helpful or not? Why? Second, what are the previous diagnosis for the client noted from previous treatments and other providers. Thirdly, you could document both.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Substance Use History: This section contains any history or current use of caffeine, nicotine, illicit substance (including marijuana), and alcohol. Include the daily amount of use and last known use. Include type of use such as inhales, snorts, IV, etc. Include any histories of withdrawal complications from tremors, Delirium Tremens, or seizures.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Family Psychiatric/Substance Use History: This section contains any family history of psychiatric illness, substance use illnesses, and family suicides. You may choose to use a genogram to depict this information. Be sure to include a reader’s key to your genogram or write up in narrative form.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Social History: This section may be lengthy if completing an evaluation for psychotherapy or shorter if completing an evaluation for psychopharmacology.  However, at a minimum, please include:

Where patient was born, who raised the patient

Number of brothers/sisters (what order is the patient within siblings)

Who the patient currently lives with in a home? Are they single, married, divorced, widowed? How many children?

Educational Level

Hobbies:

Work History: currently working/profession, disabled, unemployed, retired?

Legal history: past hx, any current issues?(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Trauma history: Any childhood or adult history of trauma?

Violence Hx: Concern or issues about safety (personal, home, community, sexual (current & historical)

Medical History: This section contains any illnesses, surgeries, include any hx of seizures, head injuries.

Current Medications: Include dosage, frequency, length of time used, and reason for use. Also include OTC or homeopathic products.

Allergies: Include medication, food, and environmental allergies separately. Provide a description of what the allergy is (e.g., angioedema, anaphylaxis). This will help determine a true reaction vs. intolerance.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Reproductive Hx: Menstrual history (date of LMP), Pregnant (yes or no), Nursing/lactating (yes or no), contraceptive use (method used), types of intercourse:  oral, anal, vaginal, other, any sexual concerns

ROS: Cover all body systems that may help you include or rule out a differential diagnosis.  Please note: THIS IS DIFFERENT from a physical examination!(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

You should list each system as follows: General: Head: EENT: etc. You should list these in bullet format and document the systems in order from head to toe.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Example of Complete ROS:

GENERAL: No weight loss, fever, chills, weakness, or fatigue.

HEENT: Eyes: No visual loss, blurred vision, double vision, or yellow sclerae. Ears, Nose, Throat: No hearing loss, sneezing, congestion, runny nose, or sore throat.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

SKIN: No rash or itching.

CARDIOVASCULAR: No chest pain, chest pressure, or chest discomfort. No palpitations or edema.

RESPIRATORY: No shortness of breath, cough, or sputum.

GASTROINTESTINAL: No anorexia, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea. No abdominal pain or blood.

GENITOURINARY: Burning on urination, urgency, hesitancy, odor, odd color

NEUROLOGICAL: No headache, dizziness, syncope, paralysis, ataxia, numbness, or tingling in the extremities. No change in bowel or bladder control.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

MUSCULOSKELETAL: No muscle, back pain, joint pain, or stiffness.

HEMATOLOGIC: No anemia, bleeding, or bruising.

LYMPHATICS: No enlarged nodes. No history of splenectomy.

ENDOCRINOLOGIC: No reports of sweating, cold, or heat intolerance. No polyuria or polydipsia.

Physical exam (If applicable and if you have opportunity to perform—document if exam is completed by PCP): From head to toe, include what you see, hear, and feel when doing your physical exam. You only need to examine the systems that are pertinent to the CC, HPI, and History. Do not use “WNL” or “normal.” You must describe what you see. Always document in head-to-toe format i.e., General: Head: EENT: etc.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Diagnostic results: Include any labs, X-rays, or other diagnostics that are needed to develop the differential diagnoses (support with evidenced and guidelines).(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Assessment

Mental Status Examination: For the purposes of your courses, this section must be presented in paragraph form and not use of a checklist! This section you will describe the patient’s appearance, attitude, behavior, mood and affect, speech, thought processes, thought content, perceptions (hallucinations, pseudohallucinations, illusions, etc.)., cognition, insight, judgment, and SI/HI. See an example below. You will modify to include the specifics for your patient on the above elements—DO NOT just copy the example. You may use a preceptor’s way of organizing the information if the MSE is in paragraph form.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

He is an 8-year-old African American male who looks his stated age. He is cooperative with examiner. He is neatly groomed and clean, dressed appropriately. There is no evidence of any abnormal motor activity. His speech is clear, coherent, normal in volume and tone. His thought process is goal directed and logical. There is no evidence of looseness of association or flight of ideas. His mood is euthymic, and his affect appropriate to his mood. He was smiling at times in an appropriate manner. He denies any auditory or visual hallucinations. There is no evidence of any delusional thinking.   He denies any current suicidal or homicidal ideation. Cognitively, he is alert and oriented. His recent and remote memory is intact. His concentration is good. His insight is good. (Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Differential Diagnoses: You must have at least three differentials with supporting evidence. Explain what rules each differential in or out and justify your primary diagnostic impression selection. You will use supporting evidence from the literature to support your rationale. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Also included in this section is the reflection. Reflect on this case and discuss whether or not you agree with your preceptor’s assessment and diagnostic impression of the patient and why or why not. What did you learn from this case? What would you do differently?(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrating critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), social determinates of health, health promotion and disease prevention taking into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.).(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

References (move to begin on next page)

You are required to include at least three evidence-based, peer-reviewed journal articles or evidenced-based guidelines which relate to this case to support your diagnostics and differentials diagnoses. Be sure to use correct APA 7th edition formatting.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Week (enter week #): (Enter assignment title)

Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders

Subjective:

The evaluation and diagnosis of patients grappling with substance-related and addictive disorders are critical components of the nursing process. As aspiring nurses, it’s vital to grasp the exhaustive approach necessary for delivering proficient care to individuals contending with these issues. This detailed SOAP (Subjective, Objective, Assessment, Plan) note essay is intended to furnish you with a comprehensive comprehension of appraising and diagnosing patients wrestling with substance-related and addictive disorders.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Patient Information:

• Patient Alias: John Doe
• Age: 32
• Gender: Male
• Primary Concern: “I’m struggling to control my drinking, and it’s negatively impacting my work and relationships.”

Objective:

The evaluation of patients dealing with substance-related and addictive disorders entails assembling objective data that facilitate diagnosis and the formulation of effective intervention strategies.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Physical Examination: During the physical assessment, be attentive to indicators of substance utilization:

• Redness in the eyes(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
• Shaking or unsteady walking
• Traces of needle punctures or track marks (if relevant)
• Signs of inadequate personal hygiene or neglect
• Yellowing of the skin or other manifestations of compromised liver function
• Elevated blood pressure or pulse rate(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests: Arrange pertinent tests to gauge the influence of substance consumption on the patient’s well-being:

• Blood alcohol levels (BAL)
• Urine drug screening (UDS)
• Tests for liver function (LFTs)(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
• Complete blood count (CBC) to identify potential complications
• Tools for evaluating mental health (e.g., AUDIT, DAST-10) to determine the severity of substance usage

Assessment:

Drawing from both the gathered subjective and objective data, the assessment of the patient’s situation can be formulated.

Diagnosis:

• Disorder Linked to Substance Use (Alcohol)
• Susceptibility to Impaired Liver Function
• Vulnerability to Impaired Relationships

Contributing Factors: Numerous factors contribute to the emergence of substance-related disorders:

• Genetic predisposition
• Surrounding circumstances (exposure to substance use, distressing life occurrences)
• Neurobiological factors (alterations in brain chemistry)
• Psychological elements (mental health disorders)
• Societal dynamics (peer pressure, cultural norms)

Plan:

The plan outlines nursing interventions and cooperative actions intended to address the patient’s state and necessities.

Nursing Interventions:

1. Establishing a Safe Setting: Guarantee patient well-being by eradicating hazardous substances from the surroundings.
2. Fostering Trust: Cultivate a therapeutic nurse-patient rapport to encourage unreserved communication.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
3. Enlightenment: Impart knowledge to the patient regarding the repercussions of substance consumption on physical and mental health.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
4. Motivational Conversations: Utilize motivational discourse methods to amplify the patient’s internal motivation for change.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
5. Supportive Provision: Extend emotional support and inspiration to help the patient cope with withdrawal symptoms.
6. Referral: Direct the patient to a counselor specializing in substance abuse or supportive group sessions.
7. Vital Sign Monitoring: Regularly monitor blood pressure, pulse rate, and other pertinent metrics.
8. Team Collaboration: Collaborate with other healthcare practitioners to manage potential complications such as liver dysfunction.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Joint Endeavors:

1. Medical Assessment: Collaborate with the physician to evaluate the patient’s overall well-being and determine the necessity for medical interventions.
2. Psychiatric Consultation: If concurrent mental health issues are suspected, involve a psychiatrist for in-depth assessment and treatment.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)
3. Social Services: Engage social workers to aid in addressing concerns related to impaired relationships and support networks.

Follow-up: Schedule periodic follow-up appointments to monitor the patient’s advancement, adjust the treatment scheme as required, and furnish ongoing support.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

In summation, the appraisal and diagnosis of patients with substance-related and addictive disorders require a comprehensive strategy that encompasses both subjective and objective information. As aspiring nurses, it’s imperative to discern the underlying elements contributing to these disorders and collaborate with an interdisciplinary panel to offer comprehensive care. By implementing substantiated interventions and fostering a robust nurse-patient rapport, you can play a pivotal role in aiding patients on their path to recovery.(Comprehensive Soap Note Essay on Assessing and Diagnosing Patients with Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders)

Reference

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/