HLTAAP002 Confirm Physical Health Status – 2026 University-Level Assignment Brief

Assessment 2: Applied Health Assessment Case Study (HLTAAP002)

Unit and Program Context

• Unit: HLTAAP002 Confirm Physical Health Status

• Program: Diploma of Nursing, articulated into first-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing health assessment, with expectations scalable for MSN or DNP bridge students

• Assessment type: Individual written case study with structured short-answer responses

• Length: 1,500–2,000 words, or equivalent 4–5 typed pages

• Weighting: 30–40% of unit grade, or Assessment 2 of 3

• Mode: Written submission via LMS in Word or PDF format

Purpose of the Task (For Faculty and Students)

This assignment requires students to apply core anatomy and physiology knowledge to a real-world clinical scenario, interpret assessment data, recognise deviations from normal findings, and determine appropriate actions within scope of practice. The emphasis is on clinical reasoning rather than memorisation. Students are expected to connect HLTAAP002 performance criteria with contemporary undergraduate health assessment standards and demonstrate applied understanding.

Student-Facing Assessment Brief

Assessment Overview

In this assessment you will analyse one adult case study and demonstrate how you confirm a person’s physical health status. You will interpret assessment findings, differentiate normal from abnormal data, identify actual and potential problems, and describe appropriate actions within the Enrolled Nurse or junior Registered Nurse scope of practice under supervision.

Your responses must demonstrate the practical application of anatomy and physiology knowledge in clinical reasoning. Simply restating textbook definitions will not meet assessment expectations.

Case Study: Mr Daniel Cooper (45 Years)

Mr Cooper is a 45-year-old warehouse worker who presents to an urgent care clinic with a three-day history of increasing shortness of breath on exertion, productive cough with yellow-green sputum, low-grade fevers, and fatigue. He smokes 20 cigarettes a day and has done so for 25 years. He lives with his partner and two young children and reports getting chest infections every winter. He has a past history of mild asthma in childhood but has not used inhalers for years. He takes no regular medications and has no known drug allergies.

On assessment, he is sitting upright and appears tired but cooperative.

Vital signs:

• Temperature 38.4°C

• Heart rate 108 beats per minute

• Blood pressure 138/86 mmHg

• Respiratory rate 24 breaths per minute

• SpO₂ 91% on room air

He is using accessory muscles mildly when breathing. On chest auscultation there are coarse crackles in the right lower lobe and scattered wheezes bilaterally. His cough is moist and productive. His BMI is 31 kg/m². He reports pleuritic chest pain rated 5 out of 10 when coughing. Capillary refill is 2–3 seconds centrally and peripherally. His skin is warm, slightly sweaty, and pink with no cyanosis.

Task Instructions

Task 1 – Analyse the Health Information (Approx. 500–600 Words)

1. Identify at least eight pieces of assessment data from the case that are abnormal or clinically significant. Include vital signs, respiratory findings, risk factors, and subjective complaints.

2. For each item:

   • State whether it is normal or abnormal for an adult of Mr Cooper’s age.

   • Explain, using relevant anatomy and physiology, why it is normal or abnormal. For example, link raised respiratory rate to gas exchange and work of breathing, and link crackles to fluid or secretions in the alveoli.

3. Identify two patterns or clusters in the data that suggest an underlying problem in a specific body system, such as lower respiratory tract infection, early respiratory compromise, or risk of sepsis, and justify your interpretation.

Task 2 – Identify Actual and Potential Problems (Approx. 400–500 Words)

1. Identify at least three actual or potential health problems related to Mr Cooper’s physical health status, such as impaired gas exchange, ineffective airway clearance, risk of deterioration or sepsis, acute pain, or activity intolerance.

2. For each problem:

   • List the specific assessment findings that support your conclusion.

   • Explain contributing factors such as smoking history, obesity, or occupational exposure that may have influenced his current condition.

3. Prioritise the three problems, ranking them from one to three, and justify the order using airway, breathing, circulation, disability, exposure reasoning.

Task 3 – Make Checks and Decide on Actions Within Scope (Approx. 400–500 Words)

1. Describe at least four further checks you would perform to confirm Mr Cooper’s physical health status before and during intervention. Examples include repeat vital signs, focused respiratory assessment, pain assessment, sputum characteristics, and mobility tolerance.

2. For each check:

   • Explain what you would assess and how you would measure it.

   • Explain how the findings would influence subsequent actions or escalation.

3. Outline at least three actions appropriate to your scope of practice under supervision, such as positioning upright, encouraging effective coughing and deep breathing, administering prescribed oxygen, or escalating care. Explain how each action addresses the underlying pathophysiology.

Task 4 – Documentation and Communication (Approx. 200–300 Words)

1. Explain how you would document assessment findings and actions in the health record, including:

   • Requirements to meet legal, professional, and organisational standards.

   • Clear differentiation between objective and subjective data.

2. Provide a brief ISBAR handover in bullet-point format to the Registered Nurse or medical provider, focusing on the highest priority problem.

Formatting and Submission Requirements

• Use headings for each task.

• Use 12-point font, 1.5 line spacing, and standard margins.

• Write in full sentences; bullet points permitted for data lists and ISBAR.

• Word count: 1,500–2,000 words, excluding title page and references.

• Reference a minimum of four to six current scholarly or guideline sources published between 2018 and 2026, using APA 7th or Harvard style consistently.

Academic Integrity

• Work must be your own.

• Use sources to support reasoning rather than replace it.

• Paraphrase carefully and acknowledge all non-original ideas.

Academic Integration Paragraph

Accurate confirmation of physical health status requires systematic assessment, interpretation of physiological cues, and prioritisation of risk based on established clinical frameworks. Structured approaches to recognising deterioration support early identification of sepsis, respiratory compromise, and other acute conditions. The Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care (2021) emphasises that timely recognition and response to acute deterioration reduces preventable harm and improves patient outcomes. Applying anatomy and physiology knowledge to pattern recognition strengthens clinical judgement and promotes safe escalation when abnormalities cluster across multiple systems.

Analytic Marking Rubric (HLTAAP002 Case Study – 100%)

Mr Cooper’s respiratory rate of 24 breaths per minute, oxygen saturation of 91 percent on room air, and use of accessory muscles indicate impaired alveolar gas exchange rather than isolated upper airway irritation. Crackles in the right lower lobe suggest inflammatory exudate within distal airways consistent with lower respiratory tract infection. When fever, tachycardia, and diaphoresis are considered together, they may indicate an early systemic inflammatory response requiring close monitoring. Positioning the patient upright, encouraging deep breathing, and administering prescribed oxygen directly support ventilation and perfusion matching. Clear documentation of findings and structured ISBAR communication facilitate timely medical review and reduce the risk of deterioration.

 References (APA 7)

Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care. (2021). Recognising and responding to acute deterioration. ACSQHC.

Jarvis, C. (2019). Physical examination and health assessment (7th ed.). Elsevier.

Jenkins, C. R., Thompson, B. R., Gibson, P. G., & Wood-Baker, R. (2020). Risk factors for pneumonia in adults with chronic respiratory disease. Respirology, 25(6), 650–658.

Lewis, S. L., Bucher, L., Heitkemper, M. M., & Harding, M. (2023). Medical-surgical nursing: Assessment and management of clinical problems (12th ed.). Elsevier.

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2019). Pneumonia in adults: Diagnosis and management (CG191). NICE.

Levett-Jones, T. (2020). Clinical reasoning: Learning to think like a nurse (2nd ed.). Pearson.