Comprehensive patient assessment

Comprehensive patient assessment
Comprehensive patient assessment
General Patient Information

Name: Mrs. Joy Smith

Age: 38 y/o

Gender: Female

Ethnic group: African American

Chief complaint

“I feel increasing pain around the left thigh and buttock. I feel fatigued and have noticed some swelling in the affected part.”

History of Present Illness

 Joy reports that the pain and swelling in her left hip and buttocks that begun a week ago. The 38 y/o African American has been experiencing pain and swelling in multiple joints for the past three months. She has experienced active bilateral synovitis in her wrists and ankles. She has also observed small nodules on her left elbows. The hip joint swelling began five days ago.

She has been treating the pain using acetaminophen. Since then, she has been experiencing increasingly severe pain and edema in the affected region. The pain is relieved by rest but aggravated by mobility and physical activity. She reports the pain at scale 8 in 0-10 pain scale. She denied any history of trauma. She occasionally experiences morning stiffness that lasts for 30 minutes and low back pain that usually worsen at night. She has not experienced had any flares.

She is asthmatic and suffers from seasonal allergies. She is also allergic to aspirin as it causes gastrointestinal discomfort. The medication she has used recently is acetaminophen 500mg for pain management and Proventil HFA to manage an asthma attack. She has no chronic illness and has not undergone any surgeries. The only time she has been hospitalized is during delivery of her two daughters.

She does not smoke but occasionally takes a glass or two of wine. She has no appetite changes. She has been experiencing urinary tract infections occasionally but has no history of sexually transmitted illness. She denies no psychological disorders.

She began her menarche at age 13 years. Her LMP was last month, which she describes as a regular flow that lasted for three days. She is Gravida 2POO2. She carried all her pregnancy with no complication and breastfed all her children. She has sex 2 to 3 times a week but with no protection. She has been using IUD method of contraception which she removed six months ago.

She does not engage in any health maintenance screenings such as mammogram or Pap test.  Her father is 72 years old and hypertensive. Her mother is 68 years old and is diagnosed with diabetes.  She is happily married and lives with her husband and two daughters. She lives with her husband and her two daughters (age 12 and eight years old).  She is a housewife whereas her husband works as sales manager at a local supermarket.

She has a good rapport with her neighbors and is actively involved in local community programs especially those that promote healthy living. Her family is financially and socially stable. She is physically active and tries to eat homemade food as much as possible.

Review of systems

 The patient is alert and oriented. She denies fever or chills. She has no skin rashes, lesions or any discolorations. She uses corrective lenses and denies any changes in her vision and has the normal hearing ability. She denies dental complications, throat pains, dysphagia or nose bleeds. She denies skin discolorations, breast lumps, and breast masses. She denies SOB, chest pains, palpitations, or edema. This indicates that her respiratory system is in great shape. She denies wheezing, dysponea or hemoptysis. She has no history of pneumonia or TB.

She feeds on homemade foods. She denies any changes in appetite. She denies NVD. She has not seen any changes in bowel movement and elimination frequency.  She denies heartburn, constipation or presence of hemorrhoids.  She denies changes in urine quality and quantity. She denies hematuria. She complains of frequent muscle pain and complaints of a backache.

She has no history of fracture or trauma.  She reports that she is unable to lift her arms without extreme pain in the shoulder. In the last five days, it has been difficult to stand for long periods of time due to ankle and foot pain. Although acetaminophen 500 mg three times a day has helped her manage the pain and stiffness, it is no longer effective. 

She denies syncope of transient paralysis and seizures. She denies bleeding and has never been diagnosed with anemia. She denies presence swollen glands or excessive thirst. She looks slightly distressed but denies the history of psychosocial disorders or depression.

Objective data

 The patient is in acute distress. However, she is well groomed, alert and oriented. Her vital signs are as follows;   Weight 220 lb, Height 5’3”, BMI 39, BP 130/70 (taken on the right arm when seated), HR 80, RR 18 unlabored, T 97.5, SATs 99% at room temperature. The patient skin is moist and warm. No discoloration observed. The skin color is normal, intact and with no rashes, lesions or bruises. 

The head is normocephalic and atraumatic. EOMs and PERRLA are intact with no lesions. The ears have positive reflex, bilateral TMS with no discharge or infection. Umbo and short process are visible with no foreign body. Nose canals are bilateral with no rhinitis in both of the nares. The nasals turbinate’s are not swollen.

The oral-pharyngeal mucosa is moist and non-erythmatous pharynx. No nodules or dental prosthesis observed. S1 and S2 are regular with normal rate. No murmurs or peripheral edema noted.  The respirations are normal and unlabored. Wheezing sounds are absent in all of the four quadrants. She has normal bowel in all four quadrants.  The abdomen is soft and non- tender. No palpable masses noted. 

The chest and breast region is unremarkable with no lymphadenopathy.  The bladder is non-distended. No changes in urine quality or quantity. No hematuria. The gait is not normal. She is limping as she walks across the exam room which indicates discomfort or pain in the affected limb. The left hip is swollen and painful. The pelvic exams indicated no inguinal adenopathy, lesions or erythma on the genitalia. Vaginal discharge is normal.

The cervix is normal without palpable masses. The lower quadrants are tender. The adnexal and uterine are tender. No pain is indicated with cervical motion. The anterior and midline of the uterus is smooth and not enlarged. She has clear speech, good tone and intact cranial nerves II.  She appropriately maintains eye contact.

Differential diagnosis

 Based on the signs and symptoms, the patient is likely to be suffering from infections arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, gout or osteoarthritis. This is because these diseases are collectively grouped as arthritis as they commonly affect the small joints, hips, hands, lumber and cervical spine. Differentiating these diseases is challenging as they all present with joint stiffness and pain that worsen with activity (Buttaro, et al., 2013).

Psoriatic arthritis is suspected because of clinical manifestations such as generalized fatigue, swollen and painful joints, and limited range of motion. The disease will be confirmed by laboratory tests. Similar to Psoriatic arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis and infection arthritis is suspected because of the presence of signs and symptoms such as joint stiffness, pain, fatigue, tenderness and limited range of motions.

Gout is suspected because of patient’s complaints about intense throbbing joint pains, discomfort and inflammation. However, gouts normally affect the large joints of the big toe. The disease will be confirmed by the laboratory findings. Similar to out, the patient may experience joint pain that hurt during and after movement. Joint stiffness is noticeable especially in the morning or after long periods of physical inactivity (Buttaro et al., 2013).

To reach a definitive diagnosis, it is important to undertake differentiating diagnostic investigations. For instance, diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis is supported by skin biopsy of the affected lesions. Infectious arthritis is self-resolving within six weeks whereas gout is confirmed by serum uric acid that is above 416 micromols/L. Rheumatoid arthritis, on the other hand, is confirmed by whereas osteoarthritis is distinguished from others by the rheumatoid factor, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation whereas osteoarthritis by radiographs that indicate loss of joints space, osteophytes and subchondral sclerosis (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

Lab tests

Diagnosis should be conducted as early as possible to optimize patient’s outcomes. The patient presents with painful and swollen hip joint. In this case, appropriate laboratory tests include; CBC,  Renal function, erythrocyte sedimentation (ESR),  C- reactive protein (CRP), Level of RhF and citrullinated peptide antibody (CCP). Imaging tests such as radiography and X-rays will also be ordered to make the definitive diagnosis. Also, these tests are used to evaluate the particular erosive changes to assess the disease progression (Buttaro et al., 2013).

According to my preceptor, some lab tests such as complete blood count and renal function are necessary as they influence treatment options. For instance, if the patient is diagnosed with renal insufficient or thrombocytopenia, the healthcare provider must avoid prescribing a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Some medications are also contraindicated with some hepatic disease.

Definitive diagnosis: Rheumatoid arthritis

The onset of the disease peaks between the ages of 30 and 50 years. It is the most common cause of disability in the USA. It is reported that 35% of people diagnosed with RA reports disability within ten years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). RA typically presents with pain and stiffness in multiple joints in the body. As the disease progress, other small joints including the interphalangeal joints and metacarpophalangeal become affected.

In most patients, they may experience morning stiffness that may last more than 30 minutes. In some cases, Boggy swelling may become visible caused by synovitis and subtle synovial thickening. Systemic symptoms include low-grade fever, fatigue and weight loss (Buttaro et al., 2013).

 According to the American College of Rheumatology and European League against Rheumatism 2010, RA diagnostic criteria are as indicated below (Aletaha et al., 2010):

Image result for rheumatoid arthritis diagnostic criteria

(Source: Aletaha et al., 2010)

The laboratory findings were as follows; CRP 5.7 mg/ dL(normal 0.1-0.9 mg/ dL); ERS 26 mm/h (normal 0-15mm/h) RhF 33.4 (normal 0-29 IU/mL) and CCP 40 (normal0-20).  Radiography results were still pending. The other parameters were within the normal limits. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common type of arthritis. Based on this guideline, the patient complaint is 1-3 small joints with the involvement of a large joint (score 2); the serology tests indicates low positive RhF and High positive ACPA (score 3) and abnormal CRP and ESR levels (score 1).

The total score is 6 out of 10 which is the score needed for classification of the patient as having RA.  RA is a progressive disease, and it is difficult to know when the disease first developed. Most patients experience periods of alternating bothersome symptoms. Onset, severity and disease symptoms vary greatly from one person to another. Therefore, treatment should b tailored to meet individual medical needs (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Treatment and management of the disease

Once diagnosed, the initial treatment and evaluation should begin immediately. Due to different disease presentations, a patient specific and effective care plan was developed. The goal of this treatment was to minimize joint pain and swelling, slow disease progression, prevention of deformity and maintenance of quality of life. With the help of my preceptor, the pharmacological treatment was initiated using oral Methotrexate (MTX) 7.5mg per week (divided in 2.5 mg orally after 12 hours in 3 doses) plus 5 mg Prednisone per day. She was also given Diclofenac 50mg three times a day. She was advised to continue using acetaminophen when required.

 Secondly, I noted that the patient was obese (BMI 39). Therefore, the patient was advised to feed on healthy diets and to perform regular exercises. The diets recommended for this patient include eating plenty of fruits, whole grain cereals, and vegetables. The patient was also advised to feed on foods rich in omega -3 such as fish oils, and to feed a low-fat diet. She was also advised to limit alcohol intake and to consume moderate sugars and foods that have added sugars (Dains, Baumann, & Scheibel, 2012).

Whereas there is limited evidence-based practice on the impact of diet on RA, my preceptor advised that patient education on dietary modifications is acceptable. Therefore, it is always important to encourage parents to adopt and maintain healthy diet and weight. This intervention is particularly important for this patient because she has high body mass index (BMI).

Moreover, weight reduction helps reduce the weight bearing of joints and prevention of other disease comorbidities such as high blood pressure. It has also been indicated that people with unhealthy weight have poorer functional status; further emphasizing the need for healthy weight control in general disease management (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

 Another important factor in weight control is physical activeness. The patient was referred to a physiotherapist for services relating to exercises s it has been statistically shown significant improvements in patients diagnosed with RA body functions and social component.  This is because exercises are well accepted to have a big role in combating the adverse effects associated with RA on muscle endurance, strength and aerobic capacity (Rudan et al., 2015).

However, fatigue is also common in patients diagnosed with RA.  The patient was advised to rest their inflamed joints. The patient was also advised on other strategies such as the application of heat and cold therapy to relieve pain. The patient was also advised on passive and active exercises to maintain range of motion in the affected joints (Dains, Baumann, & Scheibel, 2012).

Complementary therapies have been associated with some favorable outcomes. These include the use of acupuncture, use of gamma-linolenic acid from black currant seed oil, evening primrose and thunder god vine. However, the patient was informed about the potential adverse effects associated with the herbal therapy (Kordasiabi et al., 2016). 

The patient was also given folate or folic acid (400 mg). This is important because some RA medications such as methotrexate interfere with absorption of folic acid. Research also indicates that patients under corticosteroids make it difficult to absorb calcium; therefore, the patient was given calcium supplements (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Patient education

The main goal of health promotion is to empower patients with practices that empower them and makes them improve their well-being holistically ranging from mental and spiritual mental wellbeing. The patient was educated on the importance of participating in preventive care such as Pap test and mammogram screening. She was advised to perform Pap test and mammogram screening at least twice a year to facilitate early detection of the disease and effective management of the disease (CDC, 2013).

 The patient stated that she had removed IUD six months ago as it was making her bleed uncontrollably and developed frequent urinary tract infections. When asked if she is ready to have another child, she was hesitant saying that they had planned to have only two children. I advised her on the alternative contraceptive methods such as hormonal birth control methods that have been found to be effective.

These contraception methods cause the cervical mucus to thicken making it difficult for the sperm and pathogens to reach the uterus. The patient was also taught about hygiene practices such as wiping herself front to back after visiting the toilet to avoid introducing colon pathogens into her vagina (Buttaro et al., 2013).

Follow up care

Remission occurs in 10 to 50% of RA patients. It is more likely in males, people below 40 years, nonsmokers and the late onset of the disease. If the disease is well controlled, the medication dosages will be cautiously reduced to the minimum amount necessary (Healthy People 2020, 2013). Long-term monitoring of the disease is important because although RA is considered a disease of joints, it is also the disease that involves multiple organ systems.

For instance, patients diagnosed with RA are likely to have increased risk of lymphoma which is believed to be caused by underling inflammation and not a consequence of the disease. Patients diagnosed with RA have increased risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol. Also, caution is needed with the continued use of DMARDs as it is associated with malignancy. Lastly, the disease is associated with depression which affects more than 40% of people diagnosed with RA; which is associated with long-term use of corticosteroids (Kordasiabi et al., 2016).

 Therefore, ongoing monitoring of the patient will be done after every two weeks. This is important in assessing the patient progress and the overall management goals such as treatment efficacy, disease activity, other comorbidities and patient’s quality of life in general. It is also important to run the laboratory tests to monitor toxicity and adverse effects of the modification. The referral was made to a rheumatologist for further evaluation.

References

Aletaha, D., Neogi, T., Silman, A. J., Funovits, J., Felson, D. T., Bingham, C. O., … & Combe, B. (2010). 2010 rheumatoid arthritis classification criteria: an American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism collaborative initiative. Arthritis & Rheumatism, 62(9), 2569-2581.    

Buttaro, T. M., Trybulski, J., Polgar-Bailey, P., & Sandberg-Cook, J. (2013). Primary Care: A collaborative practice. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Dains, J, E., Baumann, L.C., & Scheibel, P. (2012). Advanced health assessment and clinical diagnosis in primary care (4ed.) St. Louis, Mo.: Elsevier Mosby.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. (2013). State prevalence of self-reported doctor-diagnosed arthritis and arthritis-attributable activity limitation. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/arthritis/data_statistics/national-statistics.html

Healthy People.gov. (2013). Arthritis, osteoporosis and chronic back conditions. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/Arthritis-Osteoporosis-and-Chronic-Back-Conditions/objectives

Kordasiabi, M. C., Akhlaghi, M., Baghianimoghadam, M. H., Morowatisharifabad, M. A., Askarishahi, M., Enjezab, B., & Pajouhi, Z. (2016). Self-Management Behaviors in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients and Associated Factors in Tehran 2013. Global Journal of Health Science, 8(3), 156–167. http://doi.org/10.5539/gjhs.v8n3p156

Rudan, I., Sidhu, S., Papana, A., Meng, S., Xin–Wei, Y., Wang, W., … Global Health Epidemiology Reference Group (GHERG). (2015). Prevalence of rheumatoid arthritis in low– and middle–income countries: A systematic review and analysis. Journal of Global Health, 5(1), 010409. http://doi.org/10.7189/jogh.05.010409

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Personal Reflection: Academic Learning

Personal Reflection
Personal Reflection

Personal Reflection

I have had the opportunity to experience two sets of learning that have been pertinent in enhancing not only my academic but also my personal growth. They are distance accessible and face to face courses. The distance accessible courses provided me with the chance to interact with other students via virtual means who are taking similar courses. This widened my circle of academic knowledge as I managed to share my knowledge with students from different countries.

Secondly, it is more affordable an aspect that enabled me to save a lot of money. Lastly, I was a working student and distance accessible courses introduced flexibility as I could easily fit the courses within my schedule. On the other hand, the face to face courses are important as they enhanced my socialization skills as I got to interact with my fellow students and teachers. I admired the way the teachers could motivate each of us in our way to make sure we were able to achieve our full potential.

According to Bain (2004), “They do not teach a class. They teach a student” (p.143). In my case, the instructors presented the lectures in an interactive way where we as the students were actively involved in class discussions. Also, the instructors were cordial and had an open door policy. They allowed students to approach them with any challenges that they faced in their academics.

Benner et al. (2010), “focus on covering decontextualized knowledge to an emphasis on teaching for sense” (p.89).  Based on this my instructors approached content analysis by dividing the class into groups of five people based on our strengths and weaknesses. This was done at the beginning of the semester to enable us to help each other in tackling difficult topics. Also, the instructors offered private tuition to weak students who were ready to seek help.

According to Boyer (1990),  “Teaching is also a dynamic endeavor involving all analogies, metaphors, and images that build bridges between the teachers’ understanding and the student’s learning” (p. 23). The techniques used by my instructors include group discussions, imagery, virtual learning, engaging class interactions, question and answer session that sparked creativity.

I have learned as can be seen in this personal reflection from Benner, Bain, and Boyer that teaching is an inclusive process that requires the use of creative methods to foster student learning. For me to be present for my students, I plan to incorporate imagery in my presentations to encourage learning, make the class more interactive, focus on sharing life advice that does complement the content I am teaching. This personal reflection highlights just but a few of the learning outcomes that I have received and will use in my career growth.

REFERENCES

Bain, K. (2004). What the best college professors do. Harvard University.

Benner, P. Sutphen, M., Leonard, V., & Day, L. (2010). Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Boyer, E.L. (1990). Scholarship reconsidered: Priorities of the professoriate. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. New York: John Wiley Sons.

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Technical evaluation of a project

Technical evaluation of a project
Technical evaluation of a project

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Technical evaluation of a project 

Managing the design and construction of an electrical power station for a community of 20,000 resident

Abstract

In any project, it is imperative that proper planning   is done before designing and construction of an electrical power station.  The stakeholders in this project are diverse and all of them should participate in the whole project in order to ensure that it is given support. This project is based on three fundamental factors that need to be considered in evaluating the authenticity and appropriateness of a project.

These include technical, economic and environment. It is imperative that evaluations on these is conducted and even put into consideration in the designing and construction of this project to ensure that it is successful. The literature review covered demonstrated the importance of ensuring that these three issues are well investigated in designing and construction of the power station. The research design used to solicit views included use of questionnaires and interviews that enabled success of the project. 

Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. Problem identification
  3. Objectives and aims
  4. Literature Review
  5. Economic evaluation
  6. Technical evaluation
  7. Environmental evaluation 
  8. Research Methodology
  9. Assumptions and limitations
  10. Results
  11. Findings
  12. Potential for future direction 
  13. Conclusion
  14. Reference list 

Managing the design and construction of an electrical power station for a community of 20,000 resident

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Introduction 

Before designing and carrying out any construction work, it is imperative that proper planning is done to ensure that the project meets the objective set.  Designing and construction of an electrical power station for a community of 20,000 residents should be carried out with precision and proper planning.  In such project, the three major factors that need to be considered include technical, economic and environmental factors. These three are crucial in determining whether the project will be set up and be able to provide or meet the intended goals and objectives. This project report is analyzed in four major areas, introduction, literature review, research methodology, and the results of the study.

Technical evaluation of a project 

Problem identification

Designing and construction of an electrical power station not only requires enough skills, and expertise of the constructors but it requires consideration of various factors.  For the project to be viable there is need to ensure that factors such as economic, technical and environmental are factored in the whole process of designing to ensure that the project is able to meet the set standards.

Many projects may be viable in one area but not in another area. For instance,  setting up of an electrical power station in one location may  improve the economic  status of the people in the area but due to environmental factors such as  poor weather conditions the project may not be viable. It is therefore important that all three factors, which interrelate, are considered to ensure viability of a project. Many projects fail to achieve their objectives and goals because of the lack of proper management in term of design and construction hence the need for more research to find out the best ways to alleviate such problems.

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Objectives and aims

The objectives and the aims that the project seeks to achieve include:

  1. To investigate on the need for considering economic factors in designing and actual construction of a an electrical power station that supports 20,000 residents
  2. To establish the significance of considering technical capabilities in the construction of electrical power station
  3. To investigate why environmental factors are important factor in designing and constructing of an electric power station
  4. To find out appropriate ways to ensure that an electrical power station is designed and constructed to meet the objectives and goals of the residents

Literature review

Under this review, various, issues will be discussed relating to the management and construction of the electrical power station that is able to serve a population of 20,000 residents. The variables to guide the literature review include; technical, economic, and environmental factors when designing and constructing an electrical power station. Evaluation of a project on these three attributes makes the designers to incorporate all of them to ensure that the project upon its completion satisfies all the stakeholders concerned.

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Economic evaluation

In these modern days, availability of electricity is one of the preconditions of ensuring that society functions and thrives forward.  Electricity is used in various areas, including, household use, running of information and communication technologies, and even in industries.  

According to Wagner & Antonio (2012),availability of electricity is important in facilitating industrialization, which provides employment to many people (p. 20). Electricity also stirs development in a given area because it contributes to the sprouting up of informal sectors such as blacksmiths that plays a pivotal role in the general economy of the country.

            Various forms of energy provide electricity to the locals and industries. These electricity may be generated from, water, wave and tidal, wind, solar, geothermal, and nuclear power energy just to name but a few. These different forms of energy are then converted to electricity at a central location from where distribution is done.  The cost of every kind of designing and constructing the station varies due to the logistics involved.

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According to El-Kordy et al. (2002), it is important to evaluate the economics of energy systems basing on the four forms of cost; maintenance costs, capital costs, fuel costs and external cost (p. 319).  In deigning the electricity power station, the cost of maintenance should be considered to ensure that the project is sustained over a considerable duration of time. This cost includes repair, human capital to ensure that the station is well manned to protect it from external distractions and costs that are related to proper functioning of the station.

Capital cost is the initial costs that require the station to be set up in a given area. The company or the contractors should put in priority or budget sufficiently for the start up costs to ensure that the project is initiated and completed within the required period. External costs involve any other costs incurred during the process of setting up and operating the electricity power station.

Electrical power station 

            It is also important that economic parameters such as inflation and escalation of rates, discounts and taxes be considered when designing and constructing power station for the 20,000 residents.  Inflation may affect the progressive of a project causing a stall due to lose of value of the funds that reserved for the project. It is therefore important that such considerations are put in the mind of the designers especially if the project is going to take long time before its completion. Therefore, future sums of money should be discounted based on the inherent risks of future events not turning out to be as planned (Zati & Toosi, 2011, p. 22) 

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.           It is also important that electrical energy generation costs are calculated, plus all other installments of the power plant to be known during the designing of a power station to serve a certain population.  The cash flow of such project includes expenditures in relation to acquisition of land, fuel and maintenance costs and the construction costs.  

This costs should be broken into units to enable the constructors know the estimated amount of money required. Some of the cost analysis tools that can be used include cost benefit ratio, total-life cycle cost, levelized electricity generation cost, net present cost and unitary present average cost among many others (Gokcek & Genc, 2009, p. 2732)  

            When it comes to economic evaluation, it is also important to consider the economic impacts that project will have on the residents or the consumers of the electricity. Economic benefits should surpass the negative aspects that the project brings to the users or the clients (Wagner & Antonio, 2012, p. 22).  When the project is designed, it should be able to improve the living standards of the people by enabling them to develop and grow in terms of their level of developments.

The benefits associated with setting up an electricity station in a given locality or a community should be to benefit the locals economically. Electricity is a cheap source of energy compared to other sources of energy at home and even in industries. Furthermore, the station should be able to serve all the residents with adequate supply of energy to enable them carry out their duties well. 

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Technical evaluation of a project 

            Therefore, in designing the project, all these issues need to be factored to ensure that the residents as well as the company benefits from the station. The company will accrue some benefits from the charges they levy on the consumption of power, but they should also provide enough power to serve the entire target population.

Technical evaluation of a project 

Electrical power station 

            Technical evaluation of a project ensures that all the necessary details that can ensure successful completion of the project are put into consideration. In technical evaluation, it is important for the designers and the constructing company to take note of all the issues that surrounds the project (Zati & Toosi, 2011, p. 23) 

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            Technical evaluation encompasses many areas of considerations in the designing and construction of an electricity power station. The team should evaluate its capability and expertise to know if they have the required skills and competence to finish the project successful. This is a very important factor in the project. The availability of work force to carry out the project is vital.

            Technical evaluation should also be carried out to determine the durability of the equipments and the long life of the assets, their performance and price stability to find out whether the project is sustainable or no (Zati & Toosi, 2011, p. 22). Other technical evaluation include, finding out whether the area has enough rivers or dams to be exploited for power production during emergencies. 

            Technical evaluation is therefore important in ensuring the success of a project of this nature. The costs and logistics of setting up and constructing an electricity power station   must be well defined and known to enable the construction team to finish the project successful.  For the project to be sustainable, maintenance costs should be provided to ensure that in case of any problem immediate action is taken to remedy the solution. For instance, vandalism of electric equipments should be controlled through installation of CCTV to ensure that those involved are pursued and persecuted (Gokcek & Genc, 2009, p 2732).

Technical evaluation of a project 

Environmental evaluation

According to Zati & Toosi (2011) environmental evaluation or assessment, if paramount before any project is undertaken (p. 24). This is not exclusion to the electricity power station. The station, even though, is important to the survival of the people in the area, it is necessary for the effects it has to the environment be accessed. The location of the station will have to be assessed before construction work begins to ensure that there are no future environmental effects to the resident (El-Kordy et al. 2002, p. 318)  

Some of the environmental concerns associated with projects of setting up and constructing an electricity power station includes, effects of the exposed cable to the people in the area, power shocks and outages, rugged landscape that poses threats to the stability of the electricity lines and re-channeling or overuse of water depriving the local residents water to carryout their farming activities. These are environmental concerns that should be investigated and assessed to determine the magnitude or impact that they have on the residents before constructing the power station.

Summary of the Literature Review

            Various stakeholders need to be consulted in the designing and construction of an electricity power station. These stakeholders include the government, the construction company, the residents and any other important party. This ensures that consensus is reached as well as it ensures that all the logistics concerning project are put into consideration.  The three factors; technical, economic and environmental are important and should be scrutinized to allow the successful completion of any project.

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Research Methodology

            Research methodology is the procedure and processes that the researcher uses to gather information, analyze and present data.  The nature of the project required use of survey descriptive method.  This method allowed the study to gather information through questionnaires, interviews and observations from the relevant stakeholders that the project affected.

The residents or the population where the project was to be set up were sampled through simple random sampling method to give a sample size that was representational of the entire population. 100 respondents responded to the questionnaires and interview questions.

The research design was descriptive survey method, which allowed questionnaires and interviews that sort to know how the residents viewed the project in terms of economic, technical and environment implications. This method was used because it can be repeated for verification. The information gathered was then analyzed and presented in the pie charts, graphs and table for ease of interpretations. 

Assumptions and limitations

            During the study, it was assumed that the respondents came for the areas where the project was to be set. The information that was collected was taken with a lot of confidentially and was assumed to be true and to the best knowledge of the respondents

             During the study, there were a number of limitations that the researcher faced. One of the limitations was inadequate time to carryout an extensive research on how the residents felt about the setting up of the power station in the area. Furthermore, the fact that, the population was very large, the sample size was not enough to elicit the views of the larger population hence a limitation to the study.

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Technical evaluation of a project 

Results

            The study findings helped the researcher to make decisive decision on the appropriate ways to design and constructing the electricity power station in the area. Results of the study were presented in the form of tables, and graphs.

Findings

            From the study, it was revealed that, economic factors were important in designing and construction of the electricity power station in the area.  Most respondents said that, the establishment of the station was welcome because it could spur economic growth in the area. It was also going to improve their living standards since they were going to use the power to do their domestic chores and other works at a low rate.

 Yes No Percentage 
Important of evaluating economic factors8020100
Percentage 8020100

Table 1.1: Economic evaluation

Figure 1.1: Economic Evaluation            

The table illustrates the importance of evaluating the economic factors before designing and constructing an electrical power station. Form the table, 80 percentage agreed that evaluation was important while 20 percent were of the contrary opinion.

            Furthermore, the findings showed that, those projects that were designed and constructed after enough economic evaluation were carried out were sustainable and provided economies of scale to both the resident and the company.  Most of the respondents supported the notion that, economic evaluation was essential because it was through such information that sufficient data on the viability of the project was to be determined.

            When it comes to technical evaluation, the study finding showed that indeed it was paramount for an assessment to be carried out during designing and construction of the power station to know the logistic and the issues that pertained to the projects.

Technical evaluation ensured that the project was completed at the time set because it allowed the project designers and constructors to understand the issues they needed to handle first before embarking on others.

            On environmental evaluation, many of the respondents said that, this was a very important area to consider because, their health and environment was important than anything that could put it at stake. However, they were in support of the project because, it had minimal effect on the environment.

Therefore, by gathering this information, and getting the views of the residents, the designers and constructors were at liberty to begin their project. This is because they got support from the stakeholders and from their visibility and surveys, the area was suitable since it could impact on economic, and had less implications on the environment. 

A table showing the total cost of setting up an electrical power station 

Item/Material Quantity Price per unity Total Price in US dollars
Survey   2000
Land2 acres 2000040000 
Equipments   100000
 Human capital 10050050000
Maintenance costs   100000
    
    

Table 1.2: Cost of setting up a power station

Instruments that is required to support the residents and the costs

Instruments                            Number Total cost  in US dollars
Transformers            3600000
Lightning protectors 50100000
Vehicles4400000
Cables100metre500000
Reading Metres 1000200000

Table 1.3: Instruments required 

Figure 1.3: Instruments required

Cost of setting up the power station 

Section of the stationCost in US Dollars
Walls200000
Signs15000
Foundation200000
Fences50000
Alarm system 10000
Total 475000

Table 1.4: Cost of setting up the power station

Figure 1.4: Cost of setting up the power station

The total amount of power that will be consumed

The station expects to produce 40kWhz of electricity in the year that will be enough for every homestead and the local industries in the area.

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Potential for future direction

            From the study, it is important for any individual or organization to carryout a survey on their project before designing and carrying out the project.  Not all projects are suitable in certain areas and therefore, these factors should be put into consideration. Therefore,   further investigation need to be carried out on how communities influence the design and construction of a project.

Conclusion

            It is imperative for any company or individual to carryout a survey before designing any carrying out a project. Planning is vital as it allows an individual to assess the benefits and the costs of the project. This allows for proper planning and implementation of the project.

                                                                    References                         

El-Kordy, M. N., Badr, M. A., Abed, K. A., & Ibrahim, S, 2002, “Economical evaluation of Electricity generation considering externalities.” Renewable Energy, 25(2), 317-328.

Gokçek, M., & Genç, M. S, 2009, “Evaluation of electricity generation and energy cost of wind energy conversion systems (WECSs) in Central Turkey.” Applied Energy,    86(12), 2731-2739.

Wagner, S. & Antonio, J. 2012. “Optimization model for economic evaluation of wind farms- How to optimize a wind energy project economically and technically.”International Journal of energy economics and policy, 2(1):10-20.

Zati, A, & Toosi, E, 2011, “Technical evaluation-economic execution of hydroelectric project at micro scale.”America journal of scientific research, Issue. 16, pp. 20-25.

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