NSG-300: Health Promotion, Vital Signs Assessment, and Patient Education Assignment

Course Context and Purpose

Nurses serve as powerful advocates for health promotion and disease prevention. Beyond treating existing illness, your role includes teaching patients about health behaviors, recognizing warning signs of deterioration through vital sign assessment, and supporting lifestyle changes that prevent disease. These foundational competencies appear throughout nursing practice. Understanding how to assess vital signs accurately, interpret findings in context of individual patient factors, and educate patients about wellness builds the clinical judgment you will use in every patient interaction.

Assignment Overview

Health promotion forms a central pillar of nursing practice alongside acute care management. Patients look to nurses for guidance on healthy choices, disease prevention, and understanding their own health patterns. Vital signs represent objective indicators of physiological stability, yet interpreting these measurements requires more than memorizing normal ranges. You must understand what vital sign changes mean for individual patients, recognize patterns indicating deterioration, and communicate findings clearly to the healthcare team. This assignment integrates health assessment, clinical reasoning, patient education planning, and professional communication into practical scenarios reflecting daily nursing work.

Part 1: Vital Signs Analysis and Clinical Interpretation

Patient Case Selection

Select a realistic patient case from your course materials or clinical experience. Your patient should have vital signs that require interpretation beyond simply checking against normal ranges. Examples include:

• An older adult with hypertension whose blood pressure readings vary significantly throughout the day
• A patient recovering from surgery whose vital signs show gradual improvement or unexpected changes
• A chronically ill patient whose “normal” vital signs differ from standard textbook ranges
• A patient exhibiting early signs of clinical deterioration through changing vital sign patterns
• A patient with fever, respiratory distress, or other acute vital sign changes

Vital Signs Trend Analysis

Collect or create a realistic vital signs dataset for your selected patient showing multiple measurements over time (minimum of five consecutive measurements). Include temperature, pulse, respiratory rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation. Present this data in table format showing date, time, and each vital sign value.

Following your data presentation, write a detailed analysis (400-500 words) addressing the following points:

• Individual vital sign interpretation: For each vital sign, compare the patient’s values to accepted normal ranges. Identify which measurements fall outside normal limits and which are within range.
• Patient-specific context: Consider how the patient’s age, medical history, medications, and current condition affect what constitutes “normal” for them. A blood pressure that would be concerning in a younger adult may be appropriate for an elderly patient with chronic hypertension.
• Pattern recognition: Examine trends across the time period. Are vital signs improving, declining, or remaining stable? Do measurements show expected patterns for the patient’s condition (for example, gradual improvement after surgery or worsening with infection).
• Relationships between vital signs: Explain how vital sign changes relate to one another. Elevated temperature with increased heart rate and respiratory rate may suggest infection or systemic response. Discuss these relationships in your patient’s context.
• Significance of findings: What do these vital sign patterns tell you about your patient’s clinical status? Have there been improvements, concerning changes, or signs of deterioration? What could be causing the patterns you observe?
• Nursing implications: How would these vital sign findings guide your nursing assessment and interventions? What follow-up assessments would be appropriate? When would you need to notify the healthcare provider?

Evidence-Based Interpretation

Support your analysis with at least two peer-reviewed sources that address vital signs assessment, clinical deterioration, or patient-specific factors affecting vital sign interpretation. Explain how current evidence supports your interpretation of the patient’s condition.

Part 2: Health Promotion and Patient Education Plan

Health Behavior Assessment

Based on the same patient case, conduct a health promotion assessment addressing the patient’s current health behaviors, risk factors, and opportunities for education. Your assessment should explore lifestyle factors including nutrition, physical activity, stress management, substance use, sleep patterns, and preventive health practices. Write this section (300-400 words) in narrative format as if documenting an assessment in the patient’s medical record.

Patient Education Plan Development

Create a detailed patient education plan targeting health promotion and disease prevention for your selected patient. Your plan should address realistic learning needs based on the patient’s condition, age, and personal circumstances. Include the following components:

Educational Needs Identification

• List specific health promotion topics appropriate for this patient based on your assessment findings
• Prioritize needs considering the patient’s immediate health concerns, chronic disease management, and prevention priorities
• Consider cultural factors, health literacy, learning preferences, and any barriers to learning the patient may face

Learning Objectives

Write three to four measurable learning objectives using SMART criteria (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, time-bound). Format objectives as “The patient will be able to…” statements that describe observable behaviors or knowledge after education. Example: “The patient will be able to demonstrate proper techniques for checking blood pressure at home using the provided equipment by the time of discharge.”

Teaching Content and Methods

For each learning objective, specify what content you will teach and what teaching methods you will use. Different patients learn through different modalities, so consider using a combination of approaches:

• Discussion and verbal instruction for some concepts
• Written materials or videos for reference at home
• Demonstration and return demonstration for skills
• Visual aids or pictorial resources for patients with limited reading ability
• Teach-back method where the patient explains information back to you
• Printed resources for home reference

Evaluation of Learning

Describe how you would evaluate whether the patient has achieved each learning objective. Include both immediate evaluation strategies (during teaching) and methods for assessing retention and behavior change after discharge. Explain how you would modify your approach if the patient was not progressing toward objectives.

Follow-up and Reinforcement

Plan for ongoing reinforcement of health education. How will the patient maintain the health behaviors after leaving your care? What resources or support systems can you connect the patient with? What follow-up would be appropriate?

Part 3: Infection Prevention and Health Safety Analysis

Infection prevention connects directly to health promotion. Preventing healthcare-associated infections protects patients and reduces disease burden. Choose one of the following topics to address in a 400-500 word analysis:

Option A: Hand Hygiene as Prevention Strategy

Analyze hand hygiene as a fundamental health promotion strategy for preventing infection transmission. Discuss current evidence on hand hygiene effectiveness, barriers to compliance in healthcare settings, and strategies nurses can use to improve their own hand hygiene practices and encourage patient/family participation. Address how hand hygiene education contributes to patient safety.

Option B: Standard Precautions in Your Selected Patient Case

Consider the standard precautions that would be appropriate for your selected patient based on their diagnosis and risk factors. Explain which precautions apply, why each is necessary, and how you would teach the patient and family about these precautions in a way that promotes understanding rather than fear.

Option C: Health Literacy and Infection Prevention Education

Discuss the relationship between health literacy and patients’ ability to follow infection prevention guidance (such as medication administration, wound care, or hand hygiene). Address how nurses assess health literacy and adapt infection prevention teaching to meet patients’ understanding levels.

Part 4: Discussion Board Participation

Discussion Forum Prompt

Select one of the following prompts to guide your discussion board participation:

Prompt A – Vital Signs and Clinical Decision Making: Reflect on a clinical situation (real or realistic) where a patient’s vital signs indicated a change in condition that required nursing intervention. What warning signs did the vital signs provide? How did you interpret these findings? What was your response, and what did you learn about the relationship between careful vital sign assessment and patient safety?

Prompt B – Health Behavior Change Challenges: Health promotion requires more than providing information; it requires supporting behavior change. Discuss barriers that patients face in changing health behaviors (such as diet, exercise, medication adherence). How can nurses support patients in overcoming these barriers? What evidence-based approaches have you learned about for supporting sustained behavior change?

Prompt C – Teaching Diverse Learners: Patients have varied learning styles, cultural backgrounds, and health literacy levels. How can nurses adapt health promotion education to meet diverse patient needs? What strategies have you found effective for teaching patients with different educational backgrounds, languages, or learning preferences?

Initial Post Standards

• Post by mid-week, 350-450 words
• Directly respond to your chosen prompt with specific examples
• Include at least two citations from scholarly sources (peer-reviewed preferred)
• Connect discussion to foundational nursing concepts from course material
• Demonstrate critical thinking by analyzing situations rather than only describing them
• End with a thoughtful question inviting peer responses

Peer Engagement Expectations

• Reply substantively to at least two classmates by week’s end (200-250 words each)
• Build on their ideas or offer different perspectives with supporting evidence
• Ask clarifying questions that deepen the discussion
• Cite sources when making claims
• Use respectful, professional language throughout
• Acknowledge the value of peers’ contributions while advancing the conversation

Part 5: Reflection Paper

Write a brief reflection (300-400 words) connecting the components of this assignment to your developing understanding of nursing practice. Address the following questions:

• How does vital signs assessment connect to health promotion and disease prevention?
• What did you learn about interpreting vital signs in context rather than viewing them as isolated numbers?
• What challenges do you anticipate in educating patients about health promotion? How might you address these?
• How does understanding infection prevention and hygiene inform your approach to patient teaching?
• How will you use these foundational skills in your future nursing practice?

Submission Guidelines and Format Requirements

Writing Standards

• Use APA 7th edition format throughout (title page, in-text citations, reference page)
• Professional, academic tone appropriate for college-level work
• Clear organization with logical flow between sections
• Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation (proofread carefully)
• Paragraphs are well-developed with clear topic sentences

Evidence and Sources

• Minimum of seven peer-reviewed sources from the past five years
• Sources should reflect current evidence on vital signs assessment, health promotion, patient education, and infection prevention
• Properly cite all sources to avoid plagiarism
• Use sources to support analysis rather than relying on opinion

File Submission

• Save document as .docx or .pdf format
• Use this naming convention: LastName_NSG300_VitalSignsHealthPromotion
• Submit through course learning management system by the posted deadline
• Retain a backup copy for your records

Grading Rubric

Vital Signs Analysis (25 points)

Data Presentation and Trend Analysis (12 points)

• 11-12: Clear data table with multiple measurements; excellent trend analysis showing understanding of patterns over time
• 9-10: Clear data presentation; good trend analysis with minor gaps
• 7-8: Data presented adequately; trend analysis present but somewhat incomplete
• 0-6: Data unclear or trend analysis missing or minimal

Clinical Interpretation (13 points)

• 12-13: Excellent interpretation connecting vital signs to patient context; discusses normal ranges, patient factors, relationships between vital signs, and clinical significance accurately
• 10-11: Good interpretation with mostly accurate clinical understanding
• 8-9: Adequate interpretation with some gaps in understanding patient-specific factors
• 0-7: Minimal interpretation or significant errors in understanding vital sign meaning

Health Promotion Plan (25 points)

Assessment and Need Identification (10 points)

• 9-10: Comprehensive assessment; clearly identifies prioritized health promotion needs based on patient factors
• 7-8: Good assessment with clear need identification
• 5-6: Adequate assessment with some needs identified
• 0-4: Incomplete assessment or vague need identification

Education Plan Development (15 points)

• 14-15: SMART learning objectives clearly written; teaching methods well-selected for content and patient; evaluation strategies appropriate and thorough; follow-up planning considered
• 12-13: Good objectives and methods; evaluation and follow-up addressed
• 10-11: Objectives and methods present but could be more specific; evaluation basic
• 0-9: Weak objectives or methods; evaluation unclear or missing

Infection Prevention Analysis (15 points)

• 14-15: Excellent analysis connecting to course content; uses current evidence effectively; shows deep understanding of infection prevention importance
• 12-13: Good analysis with adequate evidence and clear connections to nursing practice
• 10-11: Adequate analysis with some support from sources
• 0-9: Weak analysis or minimal evidence used

Discussion Board Participation (20 points)

Initial Post (12 points)

• 11-12: Substantive, well-developed response to prompt; multiple sources cited; clear critical thinking; thoughtful concluding question
• 9-10: Good response with adequate sources and critical thinking
• 7-8: Adequate response with some sources cited
• 0-6: Minimal response or weak engagement with prompt

Peer Responses (8 points)

• 7-8: Two or more substantive responses; builds on or challenges peers respectfully; cites sources; professional tone
• 5-6: Adequate peer responses with some sources cited
• 3-4: Basic responses that may lack depth or evidence
• 0-2: Minimal peer engagement

Reflection Paper (10 points)

• 9-10: Thoughtful reflection connecting concepts; demonstrates learning integration; clear writing
• 7-8: Good reflection with clear connections to course content
• 5-6: Adequate reflection with some connections made
• 0-4: Minimal reflection or unclear connections

References

1. Alshehry, A.S., Alquwez, N., Altheeb, A.T., Alanazi, S.M., Aljohani, B.S. and Alshabrani, M., 2024. Attitude toward vital signs monitoring and its predictors among clinical nurses in Saudi Arabia. Frontiers in Public Health, 12, p.1454851. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1454851

2. Wang, G., Li, X., Deng, Y., Liu, X., Wu, L., Tao, M., Shi, J., Xia, Z., Jin, Y. and Zhu, Y., 2024. Interventions to improve patient health education competence of nursing personnel: A scoping review. BMJ Open, 14(12), p.e087015. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087015

3. de Souza Esteves, M., Soares, C.B., de Araújo Neto, E.C. and Valcareggi, R.V., 2025. Early clinical deterioration risk assessment in inpatient units: NEWS2 application in a Brazilian hospital. Healthcare, 13(1), p.40. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13010040

4. Mullan, B., Liddelow, C., Ching, P.L.H., Ramsey, J., Smyth, J., Ooi, S.K. and Sladdin, I., 2022. Behavior change training for health professionals: Evaluation of a 2-hour workshop. JMIR Formative Research, 6(11), p.e42010. https://doi.org/10.2196/42010