Case Study: Assessing Mouth, Throat, Nose, and Sinuses A 40-year-old female client visits the health care facility with complaints of having ulcers under her tongue for 3 weeks; she is concerned about...

Case Study:

Assessing Mouth, Throat, Nose, and Sinuses

A 40-year-old female client visits the health care facility with complaints of having ulcers under her tongue for 3 weeks; she is concerned about her condition. The client is an attorney in a busy law firm where she works 50 to 60 hours a week. She states that many years ago when she was in college she used to get canker sores frequently when she felt stressed while studying for exams. She adds that she has been working exceptionally late for the last month on a major case. During the interview, the client appears anxious and fidgety. She tells the nurse that the long hours at the firm are exhausting her and that she is concerned because her father was recently diagnosed with oral cancer and that he had ulcers similar to hers before the diagnosis. He had to have surgery to remove a tumor in his throat.

Questions:

a. What subjective data should the nurse collect to elicit an accurate nursing history?

b. What objective areas of assessment should the nurse focus on to determine signs of oral cancer?