Conditions of the Ear
Objective data is the information gathered by the physician through the use of instruments and by assessing the normal and altered physiological functions in a patient. On the other hand, subjective data is what the patient says for instance how they feel and what could be the cause of the problem (Ozkaya et al., 2020). In this discussion, the focus is on the collection of both subjective and objective data in the diagnosis of a patient.
Another thing that the patient could explain is the time in which the pain started and how long it lasted before the drainage happened. By knowing when this pain started helps the physician to determine the extent to which the effect of the condition had gone as well as the kind of condition in which the patient is likely to suffer from. Another subjective data is the scale of the pain, on a scale of 1to 10 the patient can rate their pain so that the physician can know the kind of analgesics that the patient should be prescribed (Ozkaya et al., 2020). Another subjective data is the color and amount of the drainage from the ear so that if it was puss then they can be treated for infection, if it was blood then the physician can check for any injuries and in case of a clear fluid then there is need to assess the spinal cord integrity to determine what may be the cause of the cerebrospinal fluid flow.
On the objective data collection, the physician should use a source of light to visualize the internal ear so that a clear vision of what is wrong can be found. The lab examinations that can be done for this diagnosis are like culture and sensitivity for the fluid drained to be sure of the kind of infection or identify the DNA of the microorganisms. Another diagnostic test that can be done is the earing and balance test. These tests often are used to check on the efficacy of the auditory nerve which is responsible for hearing and transmission of sound waves (Abdullah & Hamed, 2020). The balance issue in the ear depends on the fluid found in the ossicles that are responsible for the balance in the cerebellum. In a case where the fluid draining from the ear is blood then there is a need to do some blood tests to determine some immune problems hence finding the necessary solutions to them.
The diagnoses that can be made based on the presentation the patient could be suffering from cerumen impaction which is defined as the accumulation of cerumen or rather ear wax in the ear preventing the assessment of the ear. Another diagnosis for this condition could be otosclerosis which is a condition in which there is abnormal bone growth around one of the small bones inside the ear(Abu-Naser,& Abu Hasanein, 2016). Another probable condition is menieres disease which a condition in which there is excess fluid in the inner ear. For our case, the patient claimed to have had drainage earlier before coming to the hospital.
For the case of cerumen impaction, the physician cannot visualize the internal ear because of the excessive ear wax. For this reason, it could be the wax that is causing the ear problem. For the case of otosclerosis, the physician claims that on trial to visualize the internal earl the bones were overgrown making it impossible to do so (Indius et al., 2018). And as for the menieres disease the patient claimed to have had a drainage that actually helped to ease the pain.
In conclusion, the ear may have several conditions depending on the presenting signs thus it is important to keenly obtain both the objective and subjective data to enhance appropriate ear problems (Indius et al., 2018).
References
Abdullah, B. A., & Hamed, G. Y. (2020). Relationship of TMJ Clicking with Ear Problems and Headache. International Journal, 8(5), 119-122.
Abu-Naser, S. S., & Abu Hasanein, H. A. (2016). Ear Diseases Diagnosis Expert System Using SL5 Object.
Indius, J. H., Alqaderi, S. K., Kjeldsen, A. D., & Heidemann, C. H. (2018). Middle ear disease in Danish toddlers attending nursery day-care–Applicability of OM-6, disease specific quality of life and predictors for middle ear symptoms. International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology, 110, 130-134.
Ozkaya, N. K., Mert, D. G., Bitgen, M., & Cepni, M. (2020). Prospective Evaluation of Psychological Healing in Adults Who Underwent Otoplasty for Prominent Ear. AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY.