St John of God Burwood Hospital Director of Nursing Cindy Foot says care at our hospital is primarily focused on your emotional wellbeing, but this includes treating your physical health as well.
"To help us better care for you during your stay, we not only assess your mental health but also your physical wellbeing when you are admitted to stay with us," she says.
“When you come to our hospital we will complete a physical assessment with you to ensure that there are no physical factors contributing to your mental health and put interventions in place if there are any concerns.
“This will help you get the best out of your rehabilitation process.”
What does your physical assessment involve?
When you come to St John of God Burwood hospital, our caregivers will complete a physical work up. This is designed to ensure we have a clear picture of your overall wellbeing and provide you with access to the right care for your needs.
The physical work up will include:
- Documentation of a medical history including physical medical conditions and treatments
- Allergies
- General appearance
- Vital signs
- Height, weight and waist circumference
Are any tests involved?
You may also undergo some tests before you are admitted. This may include:
- Cardiovascular testing including regular exercise
- ECG
- Respiratory assessment including smoking history, smoking cessation and chest X-Ray
- Musculoskeletal tests
- Gastrointestinal tests including liver function tests, faecal occult blood test, diabetes, HB A1C, fasting BSL, lipids profile
- Renal function test, sexual health tests and pregnancy status where appropriate
- Neurological tests including consciousness, pupils, cranial nerves, limbs, power, sensation, tone, Vitamin B12 levels, folate levels, reflexes and gait
What happens if you need treatment or care for your physical wellbeing?
All of our programs consider your physical wellbeing as a part of our routine care for you.
If you do have specific concerns that relate to the results of your physical tests or other ongoing health issues, you will be referred to a specialist clinician for ongoing support and management.
This may include a referral to a specialist doctor, or allied health professionals such as a dietitian, physiotherapist or sports physiologist.
