Clinical Skills and the Digestive System

Develop essential skills for enhancing digestive health, ensuring accurate assessment and patient-focused treatment Clinical Skills and the Digestive System delivers a structured approach to understanding and mastering the clinical assessment and procedural skills that are essential for delivering safe, effective and compassionate care for patients with conditions affecting the digestive system. Part of Peate’s Clinical Skills, a 12-book series that combines knowledge of human anatomy and physiology with practical, confident clinical skills, this volume is organised into chapters covering how to engage with patients, assessing the digestive system, health promotion, planning care for ulcerative colitis, vital signs, nasogastric tube insertion, rectal medication administration, and stoma care. Clinical Skills and the Digestive System equips readers with: Clear explanations of anatomy, physiology, and pathophysiology relevant to the digestive system Step-by-step guidance on assessment, examination, and procedural techniques, emphasising best practice and patient safety Insights on interpreting findings, recognising abnormalities, and applying knowledge to guide care decisions Guidance on teamwork, infection prevention and control, documentation, and patient-centred care throughout clinical practice Strategies to explain diagnoses, treatment plans, and care procedures to patients and families, while offering emotional support Clinical Skills and the Digestive System is an essential resource for all healthcare and social care students—including those returning to practice and newly qualified practitioners—who manage patients with digestive conditions and seek practical ways to deliver a higher standard of care.

Preface viii Acknowledgements x 1 The Anatomy and Physiology of the Digestive System 1 2 Engaging with Patients and Assessing the Digestive System 31 3 Health Promotion 55 4 Planning Care: Ulcerative Colitis 72 5 Vital Signs 97 6 Nasogastric Tube Insertion 117 7 Rectal Medication Administration 139 8 Stoma Care 159 References 181 MCQ Answers 183 Index 184