Advanced practice nurses face different kinds of patient issues and needs as they carry out their work in healthcare settings. To address patient issues and needs, these professionals conduct patient assessments by looking for external abnormalities like cloudy eyes and skin irritations. An example of a patient issue faced by advanced practice nurses is the case of a 46-year-old male complaining of pruritic skin rash, which has been present for a few weeks. The skin rash started on his feet and has spread to other parts of the body i.e. fingers, wrist, and waist. The problem began after the patient came home from a trip in Florida where he had stayed in several hotels. The results of a physical examination shows that the man has several tiny vesicles and scales between his fingers, on ankles and feet, around the belt line and his wrist. Buttaro et al. (2013) states that physical examination when diagnosing integumentary disorders entail the use of a contact dermatoscope or a non-contact microscope that utilizes cross-polarized light for objective examination of skin lesions. This process enables the clinician to visualize the epidermis and superficial dermis, which in turn help to identify changes in pigmentation throughout the lesion....

However, the determination of an appropriate diagnosis of a patient with integumentary disorders requires evaluation of his/her history and physical exams.
In relation to the 46-year-old case, the skin rash problem can be attributable to his recent trips in Florida. As shown in the patient’s history, he started having skin rashes after staying in multiple hotels in Florida during a recent trip. This implies that the patient could have used hotel amenities that contributed to the skin rash. He could have shared a towel, bed sheets, blankets or any other items that had been used by other people with skin problems. Based on the physical exam, the patient’s condition is attributable to the living conditions and amenities in the hotels he stayed in while on the trip. Since he occasionally takes ibuprofen for knee pain, has no other health problems and has no drug allergies, staying in multiple hotels is the genesis of this skin problem. This implies that he probably developed a skin allergy after using the facilities in the…