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IMPROVING THE CARE OF OUR ALCOHOL DETOX PATIENTS 2 IMPROVING THE CARE OF OUR ALCOHOL DETOX PATIENTS 24 Improving the care of our alcohol detox patients Donnell Stewart Anderson University Running head: IMPROVING THE CARE OF OUR ALCOHOL DETOX PATIENTS 1 Today?s healthcare environment calls for continued cost containment while providing better, quality care. As a result of the advances of healthcare, life expectancies have increased resulting in a growing, aged population with more chronic conditions. Treatment options, outside the hospital, are the norm for most routine management of patient care, but when someone gets sick, and requires hospitalization, the combination of their age, chronicity of illness and increased comorbidity …show more content…
Vincent nurses, provides a framework for professional nursing practice guided this research. As the business of healthcare is about taking care of people, the model starts with the patient, and their family, as the central focus. Surrounding the patient, are the concepts of mind, body and spirit, which cause us to think holistically regarding the care provided. Finally, the core values/ faith based practices, guide us in managing our patients in a way that is consist with our culture/ values, supportive of our professional growth, encourages the use of best practices, that result in better outcomes, and makes us productive in a way the encourages giving back outside the hospital as well (Stone, 2011). No matter where care is being provided the nurses foremost concern should be the patient. Work with patients should be holistic in nature such all aspects of their person are provided appropriate care (e.g. nursing, counseling and spiritual). The problem excessive alcohol use in an older, chronically ailing population results in a situation where nurses must continue to learn about and apply best practices, to strive for better outcomes with these patients and, if truly passionate/ learned enough about this topic assist them outside the hospital as …show more content…
M., Lobo, B., Sands, C., & Yates, M. (2004, June 1). Development of an alcohol withdrawal delirium prophylaxis protocol in a community teaching hospital. American Journal of Health- System Pharmacist, 1151-1155. Harwood, H. (2000). Updating Estimates of the Economic Costs of Alcohol Abuse in the United States: Estimates, Update Methods, and Data. Rockville, MD: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Hecksel, K., Bostwick, M., Jaeger, T., & Cha, S. (2008). Inappropriate Use of Symptom- Triggered Theraphy for Alcohol Withdrawal in the General Hospital. Mayo Clinic Proceedigns, 83 (3), 274-279. Kahan, M., Borgundvaag, B., Midmer, D., Borsoi, D., Edwards, C., & Ladhani, N. (2005). Treatment variability and outcome differences in the emergency department managment of alcohol withdrawal. Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, 7 (2), 87-92. Lee, J. H., Jang, M. K., Lee, J. Y., Kim, S. M., Kim, K. H., Park, J. Y., ... Yoo, J. Y. (2005). Clinical predictors for delirium tremens in alcohol dependence. Hepatology, 20, 1833-1837. McKay, A., Koranda, A., & Axen, D. (2004, February). Using a Symptom-Triggered Approach to Manage Patients in Acute Alcohol Withdrawal. MEDSURG Nursing, 13, 15-20,
Many of the problems associated with early sobriety do not stem directly from psychoactive substances. Instead they are associated with physical and psychological changes that occur after the substances have left the body. When a person regularly uses psychoactive drugs, the brain undergoes physical changes to cope with the presence of drugs in the body. When the drugs are removed from the body, the brain craves the drugs that it has become accustomed to and as the brain attempts to rebalance itself without the presence of psychoactive drugs the person often experiences feelings of confusion, pain, and discomfort. The symptoms that are experienced immediately after stopping drug use are called acute withdrawal. But often the symptoms do not stop at acute withdrawal. After the body makes initial adjustments to the absence of drugs, the changes that have occurred in the brain still need time to revert back to their original state. During this period, a variety of symptoms known as Post-Acute Withdrawal Syndrome (PAWS) begin to occur. In the book Uppers, Downers, All Arounders, published by CNS Productions, authors Darryl Inaba and William Cohen define PAWS as “a group of emotional and physical symptoms that appear after major withdrawal symptoms have abated” (Inaba & Cohen, 2011).
The Addition Severity Index is a well-known and widely used tool for use in treating alcoholics and other addicts. It is an approximately 45 to 60 minute long interview comprised of questions about the patient’s life. The interview covers eight subscales focusing on many different parts of a person’s life which helps to provide a comprehensive understanding of their life. The severity is scored on a ten point scale ranging from no problem or treatment indicated to extreme problem, treatment absolutely necessary. The scale helps the interviewer determine the seriousness of a client’s problem and to plan an effective course of treatment. The ASI can also be found in a self-administered paper-and-pencil form and an interactive CD-ROM multimedia version for the computer (Maleka, 2004). This test has been found to be reliable by most but some others do not agree. It is difficult to say whether or not the test is a reliable and valid measure of treatment due to the complexity of the questions. Once a client’s psychosocial needs are identified it is easier to find treatment suitable for that client. There are some problems with the test such as it is not properly designed to cover such a wide population (Maleka, 2004). Other problems include irrelevant questions for alcoholics and other drug users, difficulty remembering relevant information, and lying and exaggerating information for the best interest of the patient (Maleka, 2004). Use of the ASI can be found to be particularly problematic when used with the homeless or double-diagnosis patients. The ASI can be used in a wide range of treatment settings including clinical, research, and administrative. This comprehensive evaluation is a useful tool that helps professionals understand the
Figure 2 Cirrhosis of the liver in relation to alcohol consumption. (Publication in Parliament 2010)
Arias, M.D., A. J., & Kranzler, M.D, H. R. (n.d). Treatment of co-occurring alcohol and other drug Use disorders. Retrieved from http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh312/155-167.htm
A model is a simplified representation of the structure and content of a phenomenon or system that describes or explains the complex relationships between concepts within the system and integrates elements of theory and practice (Creek et al 1993).
Alcohol is the most commonly used addictive substance in the US. One in every 12 adults suffers from alcohol abuse. Alcohol addiction is very common in modern ...
Overcoming an addiction to alcohol can be a long and bumpy road. Many people feel that it is impossible to overcome an alcohol addiction. Many people feel that is it easier to be an addict than to be a recovering addict. However, recovering from alcoholism is possible if one is ready to seek the help and support they need on their road to recovery. Recovery is taking the time to regain one’s normal mind, health and strength. Recovery is process. It takes time to stop the alcohol cravings and pressure to drink. For most, rehab and professional help is needed, while others can stop drinking on their own. Recovery never ends. After rehab, professional help or quitting on your own, many people still need help staying sober. A lot of time, recovering
According to Sheila L. Videbeck a nursing professor at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny, Iowa “alcohol is a central nervous system depressant that is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream.” Many patients that attend alcohol anonymous meetings are those that have been drinking alcohol for a long period of time, and cannot seem to quit on their own without any help. Some common side effects of drinking alcohol long term include cardiac myopathy, Wernicke’s encephalopathy, korsakoff’s psychosis, pancreatitis, esophagitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and ascites. Signs and symptoms of alcohol withdrawal usually being 4-12 hours after the last drink, or after a major reduction in alcohol intake. Many patients have to be put on drugs to help them cope with the withdrawal symptoms. Most patients are prescribed benzodiazepines to suppress the withdrawal symptoms. Treatment of alcohol i...
...tient with coping techniques for managing such high-risk situations and with ways for establishing a support network to help in this process. Then, for reinforcement, the health care provider supplies the patient with informational materials on alcohol use and its associated problems as well as on behavioral modification exercises. Lastly to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the brief intervention, the health care provider establishes a system for conducting supportive telephone consultation and follow up visits with the patient.
The detoxification treatment plan is a part of an ongoing holistic approach of helping Cecile to move forward in life. There will be a need of good support network to provide adequate help. There might arise situations where Cecile may not be able to dissuade herself not to drink alcohol. Furthermore, alcohol withdrawal may present to cause side effects such as insomnia, hallucinations and withdrawal seizures (Sachdeva, Choudhary, & Chandra, 2015). The length of the treatment will depend on the AUDIT questionnaire results. It might take more than week for the process of detoxification to take place. However, the counselling support needs to be an ongoing process for 6 months or longer to combat
Alcoholism is a major problem in today’s society it is considered a disease. The effects of this so called disease are a lot more serious than one might think, and can effect your life in a big way. Many of alcohols consumers drink frequently that they will eventually get used to it, and it becomes an everyday thing. That right there is where the problem starts. Some of the effects I found are economical, physiological, and physical, which are some of the negative effects alcohol, can have on someone’s life.
Generally speaking, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) references substance dependence (in this case, alcohol) as a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms that shows that the person is continuing use of the substance even with adverse effects on the individual’s life. Specifically, for a person to be diagnosed with substance dependence they must show at least three of the following symptoms; tolerance, withdrawal, substance being taken in larger amounts of over a longer period of time than intended, an unsuccessful desire or effort to control the use of the substance, there is a great deal of time devoted to the drug, important social, occupational, or recreational activities are given up or reduced due to the substance, and the individual continues use of the substance even with the knowledge that the substance is causing physical or psychological problems (APA, 2000).
Wechsler, H., Nelson T., & Weitzman, E. (February 2000). From Knowledge to Action. Change [On-line], Available: www2.gasou.edu/library/ (Galileo)(EBSCOhost)(Search=Alcohol Abuse).
Cook, Philip J., and Michael J. Moore. "Health Affairs." The Economics Of Alcohol Abuse And Alcohol-Control Policies. Health Affairs, n.d. Web. 03 Apr. 2014.
... Alcoholism is a serious problem in today's society. It is extremely important that the public, including the large groups of users and abusers of alcohol, gain as much knowledge as possible about the symptoms and effects of alcoholism if we ever want to see the reduction of statics involving fatalities, injuries, diseases caused from the use and abuse of alcohol. Education and realization of the effects alcoholism can have on the different aspects of a person's life are the best ways that we can help control the number of alcoholics in the United States.