NCM 117 – Assignment 8

By: Joseph Ansay Torres

Marjorie Gordon

• A nursing theorist and professor

that created a nursing assessment
theory known as Gordon’s
functional health patterns.
• President of North American
Diagnosis Association
Functional Health Patterns
• A guide for establishing a comprehensive
nursing data base.

• A systematic and standardized approach

to data collection

• Enables the nurse to determine the

following aspects of health and human
function
Functional Health Patterns
• Eleven categories used to determine aspects of health and human function:

1. Health perception health management pattern

2. Nutritional metabolic pattern
3. Elimination pattern
4. Activity exercise pattern
5. Sleep-Rest pattern
6. Cognitive-Perceptual pattern
7. Self-perception – Self-concept pattern
8. Role-Relationship pattern
9. Sexuality-Reproductive
10. Coping-Stress Tolerance pattern
11. Value-Belief pattern
Health Perception Health Management
• Focused on the person’s perceived level of health and well-being, and on practices for
maintaining health. Also evaluated Habits including smoking and alcohol or drug use

 How has general health been?

 Any colds in the past year? If appropriate, absences from work/school?
 Most important things done to keep healthy? Did these things make a difference to health (include
family folk remedies, if appropriate)? Breast self-examination? Use cigarettes? Drugs? Ever had a
drinking problem? When was your last drink?
 Accidents (home, work, driving)? Falls?
 In past, easy to find ways to follow suggestions of doctors or nurses?
 If appropriate, what do you think caused this illness? Action taken when symptoms perceived? Results
of action?
 If appropriate, what is important to you while you are here? How can we be most helpful?
Nutritional metabolic
• Focused on the pattern of food and fluid consumption relative
to metabolic needs. Is evaluated the adequacy of local nutrient
supplies. Actual or potential problems related to fluid balance,
tissue integrity, and host defenses may be identified as well as
problems with GI system.

 Typical daily food intake? Describe. Supplements?

 Typical daily fluid intake? Describe.
 Weight loss/gain? Amount? Height loss/gain? Amount?
 Appetite?
 Food or eating discomfort? Swallowing? Diet restrictions? If
appropriate, breastfeeding? Problems with breastfeeding?
 Heal well or poorly?
 Skin problems, such as lesions, dryness?
 Dental problems?
Elimination
• It’s focused on excretory patterns
(bowel, bladder, skin)

Bowel elimination pattern? Describe.

Frequency? Character? Discomfort?
Problem in control? Laxatives?
Urinary elimination pattern? Describe.
Frequency? Discomfort? Problem in
control?
Excess perspiration? Odor problems?
Activity and Exercise
• It’s focused on the activities of daily living requiring energy expenditure,
including self-care activities, exercise, and leisure activities.

 Sufficient energy for desired/required activities?

 Exercise pattern? Type? Regularity?
 Spare time (leisure) activities? Child’s play activities?
 Perceived ability for the following (code level according to Functional Levels Code)
• Level 0: Full self-care
• Level I: Requires use of equipment or device
• Level II: Requires assistance or supervision of another person
• Level III: Requires assistance or supervision of another person and equipment or device
• Level IV: Is dependent and does not participate
Sleep and Rest

• It’s focused on the person’s sleep, rest, and

relaxation practices. To identified
dysfunctional sleep patterns, fatigue, and
responses to sleep deprivation.

Generally rested and ready for daily activities

after sleep?
Sleep-onset problems? Aids? Dreams
(nightmares)? Early awakening?
Rest/relaxation periods?
Cognition and Perception
• It’s focused on the ability to comprehend and use
information and on the sensory functions.
Neurologic functions, Sensory experiences such as
pain and altered sensory input.

 Hearing difficulty? Aid?

 Vision? Wear glasses? Last checked?
 Any change in memory lately?
 Easy/difficult to make decisions?
 Easiest way for you to learn things? Any difficulty
learning?
 Any discomfort? Pain? How do you manage it?
Self-perception and Self Concept
• It’s focused on the person’s attitudes toward self,
including identity, body image, and sense of self-
worth.

 How would you describe yourself? Most of the time,

do you feel good (not so good) about yourself?
 Changes in your body or the things you can do? Are
these problematic for you?
 Changes in way you feel about yourself or your
body (since illness started)?
 Find things frequently make you angry? Annoyed?
Fearful? Anxious? Depressed? What helps?
 Ever feel you lose hope? Not able to control things in life?
What helps?
Roles and Relationship
• It’s focused on the person’s roles in the world and relationships with others.
Evaluated Satisfaction with roles, role strain, or dysfunctional relationships.

 Live alone? Family? Family structure? Draw diagram.

 Any family problems you have difficulty handling (nuclear/extended)?
 How does the family usually handle problems?
 Family depend on you for things? How are you managing?
 If appropriate, how do family/others feel about your illness/hospitalization?
 If appropriate, problems with children? Difficulty handling?
 Belong to social groups? Close friends? Feel lonely (frequency)?
 Things generally go well for you at work? School? If appropriate, income sufficient for needs?
 Feel part of (or isolated in) neighborhood where living?
Sexuality and Reproduction
• It’s focused on the person’s satisfaction or
dissatisfaction with sexuality patterns and
reproductive functions.

If appropriate to age/situation, sexual

relationships satisfying? Changes? Problems?
If appropriate, use of contraceptives?
Problems?
For females, when menstruation started? Last
menstrual period? Menstrual problems? Para?
Gravida?
Coping and Stress Tolerance
• It’s focused on the person’s perception of stress
and coping strategies Support systems,
evaluated symptoms of stress, effectiveness of
a person’s coping strategies.

 Any big changes in your life in the last year or

two? Crisis?
 Who’s most helpful in talking things over?
Available to you now?
 Tense a lot of the time? What helps? Use any
medicines, drugs, alcohol?
 When (if) problems occur in your life, how do
you handle them?
 Most of the time, is this way(s) successful?
Values and Beliefs
• It’s focused on the person’s values and
beliefs.

Generally get things you want out of life?

Important plans for the future?
Religion important in your life? If
appropriate, does this help when difficulties
arise?
If appropriate, will being here interfere with
any religious practices?
Works Cited:
• https://sites.google.com/site/mirandadowding3/client-health-assess
ment/marjorie-gordons-11-functional-health-patterns

• https://nursekey.com/functional-health-patterns-assessment-guidelin
es/

• https://irmanweb.wordpress.com/2011/03/11/nursing-diagnosis-and-
11-gordons-functional-health-patterns/