Marjorie Gordon proposed eleven functional health patterns to guide nurses in collecting data during an assessment. In this case, these functional health patter

Marjorie Gordon proposed eleven functional health patterns to guide nurses in collecting data during an assessment. In this case, these functional health patterns can be used to compare and contrast the growth and development patterns of two toddlers, one of eighteen months and three years. This is important in assessment to highlight the expected developmental milestone according to age as highlighted by the patterns. The first pattern involves health perception and management, which evaluates the patient's perceived pattern of health and well-being and how they manage their health. In this case, both toddlers rely on their patterns, but the three-year-old may be able to distinguish when they are not feeling well; however, since it is an assessment tool, the nurse should evaluate the parent's perception and health management behavior in association with the toddlers, including vaccination and children check-ups at various stages of life.

The second pattern is the nutritional and metabolic pattern, where the nurse assesses food and fluid consumption in relation to the patient's metabolic needs. In this case, the nurse should evaluate the toddler's body weight, which may indicate differences in nutritional uptake and metabolic needs considering the toddlers are at an age where they require energy to keep up with their age characterized by increased play (Lulianthy & Setyonugroho, 2021). The third pattern is the elimination pattern that describes patterns of excretory function. Between the two toddlers, the three-year-olds should already be potty-trained compared to their counterparts. However, the nurse needs to establish whether the children have healthy bowel movements by ensuring they do not have diarrhea or excess urination that could be signs of an underlying condition.

The following pattern involves activity and exercise patterns where the patient should be involved in appropriate exercise and physical activities of their age and which their body metabolism can meet the energy demand. In this case, the nurse should enquire about the child's physical activities and highlight any chances of reduced activity due to reduced energy as an underlying problem, for example, malnutrition (Khatiban et al., 2019). The next pattern is the sleep and rest pattern, where the patient describes their sleep, rest, and relaxation patterns. Though the nurse will rely on the parent's description, normally, both toddlers should be able to sleep through the night. On the same, the eighteen months toddler should also sleep at least once during the day while the three-year-old depending on their physical activities should have an established sleep routine to ensure they are well-rested after a day of play and energy expenditure.

The cognitive and perceptual pattern describes the patients' sensory, perceptual, and cognitive patterns. At the age of three, the child should be improved sensory, perceptual, and cognitive functions compared to the eighteen months toddler. However, at eighteen months, the toddler's sensory functions should be evaluated to ensure early intervention in case of delayed function in this pattern (Khatiban et al., 2019). Next is the self-perception and self-concept pattern, where the patient describes self-concept and perceptions of self. In this case, the three-year-old should already show signs of self-concept by distinguishing themselves compared to the eighteen-month-old child who relies heavily on their parents in this pattern. The next pattern is the role and relationships pattern, where the patient describes patterns of role engagement and relationships. At three years, toddlers should start showing an appreciation for their relationships, especially with friends and family. Depending on the child's reaction to family and friends, the nurse should be able to identify patterns of abuse based on the parent's description and observation of both toddlers, and they are still relatively young to understand and describe this developmental pattern.

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