Assessing a client's health status is a major component of nursing care. Assessment is an ongoing process that ensures nurses note baseline information and constantly review and reassess the client's health. Besides vital signs which are used to continuously assess a client's ongoing health and wellbeing, there are other important aspects of assessment. These include: (1) the nursing health history discussed in Chapter II. and (2) the physical examination discussed in this chapter.
Kozier and Erb's Fundamentals of Nursing p. 607-697