Name: _____________________________________ Block: _______

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 examinations. 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.

(Learning Objectives: 2, 3, 4)

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?