Oxygen saturation is a term referring to the concentration of oxygen in the blood. Hypoxemia describes a lower than normal level of oxygen in the blood. In order to function properly, the body needs to be above a certain level of oxygen circulating in the blood to perfuse the cells and tissues. When the oxygen level falls below this threshold, hypoxemia occurs. This may cause certain signs and symptoms to occur. Having short term low oxygen saturation can cause shortness of breath, which is generally one of the first symptoms. Anxiety, restlessness, fatigue and headaches are also common symptoms of short term hypoxemia. In an effort to increase the amount of oxygen in the blood, the respiration rate may increase to more than 24 breaths per minute. Heart rate is also frequently elevated to above 100 beats per minute to help circulate oxygen to meet tissue demands. Low oxygen saturation can also cause level of orientation problems such as confusion and short term memory loss. If hypoxemia becomes severe, brain function may become impaired, creating symptoms such as decreased attention span. Breathing may become irregular, with cycles of deep and shallow breathing. Endurance for physical activity decreases, and motor function, particularly for fine movements, can also become impaired. Cyanosis, a bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes, becomes visible. As hypoxemia worsens, bradycardia and hypotension may occur. Ultimately, coma and death can result from severe, untreated hypoxemia. For long term low oxygen saturation conditions, which can last for several days or even longer, signs and symptoms will vary depending on the severity and duration. Fatigue, lethargy and irritability are common symptoms, as is impaired judg...
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...ctive pulmonary disease), emphysema, pneumonia, pulmonary edema, and sleep apnea. Specifically towards COPD, some nursing plans would be is to prevent the disease from progressing, treat exacerbations, client being able to perform ADLs, relieve client from breathlessness and other respiratory symptoms, improvement in exercise tolerance, and improve overall quality of life. For nursing actions, educate client on effects of smoking with regards to COPD, encourage client to exercise with activities such as walking, using bronchodilator to help with dyspnea when necessary, and explain to client about how important it is to sleep and get proper rest. Always ensure that the client understands the procedural teaching and demonstrate appropriately, answer any questions that they have, and reinforce information as needed to evaluate and support previously taught information.
Also, hypoxia, which is a lack of oxygen, is another pathological physiological outcome of sepsis as less oxygen is reaching the tissue; this is due to the fact that there is less oxygen in the blood.
This exacerbation of her COPD revealed the need for inhaler re-education. This education holds more importance due to her exacerbation that possibly could have been prevented with proper inhaler use. An education plan should be developed to assess her readiness to learn and to map out a schedule of sessions. Several sessions over an extended period of time with continuous re-evaluations is essential. Research has shown that this approach has better long term outcomes (M., Duerden & D., Price, 2001).
Often in practice, we as nurses deal with a variety of diseases and treatments and often have to react to the illness that the patient presents with upon our interaction. While this is an essential piece of our practice, we also have a duty to our patients to be proactive in preventing specific health-related consequences based on their risk factors and to promote their health and well being. Health promotion as it relates to nursing is about us empowering our patients to increase their control over their lives and well beings and includes: focusing on their health not just illness, empowering our patients, recognizing that health involves many dimensions and is also effected by factors outside of their control (Whitehead et al. 2008)..
For patients who are less affluent than the nurse, it is important to respectfully teach the patient about particular health care issues so they can be avoided in the future. Provide a nursing care plan that is comprehensive and easy to understand. For more affluent patients, it is important to maintain the same level of care the nurse would provide to anyone else. The affluence should not make the nurse feel less than or that he/she is not worthy of caring for that patient. It is important not to cater, spend more time, or provide better care for that patient and their family than the nurse normally would for their patient next
According to the American Nurses Association, nursing is defined as “the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and abilities, prevention of illness and injury, facilitation of healing, alleviation of suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response, and advocacy in the care of individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations” (American Nurses Association, 2016). Nurses have many jobs and responsibilities and wear many different hats. Nurses can perform at many different levels depending on their scope of practice which is defined by the board of nursing in one’s state of residence. It is important as nurses to understand and follow
It is important to evaluate which learning style your patients prefer in order for them to best understand what needs to be done for the maximum appropriate outcome. Licensed practical nurses are advocates and that’s someone who supports and supplies information to their patients. Advocacy often involves standing up in support of a patient and their rights. This is especially true when patients are not able to protect their own rights. When filling the role of counselor, Licensed Practical Nurses can help patients and families explore ideas and feelings towards healthcare and illness (8 Roles of the LPN). Some patients have a difficult time accepting a disease or its treatment options. As a practical nurse you consult with RN supervisors regarding patient care and assessments. In some settings LPN 's communicate directly to physicians. Communicating information to the proper people assists in increasing the effectiveness of care plans (Role). As practical nurses we are only one part of a patient care team. Other important members include RN 's, CNA 's, physicians, physical/occupational/speech therapists, dietitians, volunteers, and more (8 Roles of the LPN). With such a large team, every member has their own scope of
Nurses have many different roles which include promoting health, preventing illness, and the daily care of patients in all different kinds of settings. It is important for nurses to treat the whole patient and address not only the acute concern but all factors that contribute to the patients’ health and well-being. We are each responsible for our health, and it is the role of the nurse to help their patients be accountable for their health. Nurses have also to ensure
This care includes supporting the people I care for in their journey through life, encompassing their mental, physical and emotional make up. I see this approach as a shared world view between my nursing peers and myself, and other health care professionals. Goals that I encompass in my everyday practice and that I find important to uphold would include providing safe care, high quality care, promoting a safe environment and increasing my personal knowledge base. All these goals will have a positive impact on the patients helping them return to health, improve health promotion or provide comfort care. Another goal is to lead by example, through showing compassion, understanding, empathy and the ability to respect the decisions of others. I believe that the key to providing this type of high quality care rests on the foundation of nursing
The career of a registered nurse is one of the most interesting professions in the medical field, because not only do they help to improve the health of their patients, they also help their patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Registered nurses work to promote health, prevent disease, and help patients cope with illness. Their job is to help patients get their health back on track, and prevent increased visits to the physician. When providing care directly to the patient, they observe, assess, and record symptoms, reactions, and progress. They do this to see where the patient’s health stands and prevent further illness or health problems if such occurs. Registered Nurses help to develop and manage nursing plans, and instruct the patient and their
My philosophy of nursing is based on Erickson’s Theory of Modeling and Role-Modeling, which allows me to incorporate the patients’ needs into my plan of care. In order to have an effective and thorough plan of care, I must take the time to get to know the patient. Once I have built a rapport and trusting relationship, I can help meet the patients’ needs by implementing a plan of care with reachable goals. These reachable goals will be set and agreed upon by the nurse and patient. Not only is it important for the nurse and patient to establish individualized reachable goals, but it is important for the nurse to also have goals. The nurse may have personal and professional goals. My goals are to continually find, propose, and implement ways to make the
The nursing process is one of the most fundamental yet crucial aspects of the nursing profession. It guides patient care in a manner that creates an effective, safe, and health promoting process. The purpose and focus of this assessment paper is to detail the core aspects of the nursing process and creating nursing diagnoses for patients in a formal paper. The nursing process allows nurses to identify a patient’s health status, their current health problems, and also identify any potential health risks the patient may have. The nursing process is a broad assessment tool that can be applied to every patient but results in an individualized care plan tailored to the most important needs of the patient. The nurse can then implement this outcome oriented care plan and then evaluate and modify it to fit the patient’s progress (Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P., 2011). The nursing process prioritizes care, creates safety checks so that essential assessments are not missing, and creates an organized routine, allowing nurses to be both efficient and responsible.
Introduction The College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) is the governing body of all registered nurses in Ontario and is regulated. The CNO provides expectations and guidelines to follow, which need to be met by each Registered Practical Nurse (RPN) individually. As a nursing student, I am taught about the CNO and the importance of referring back to the guidelines while caring for patients. While gaining experience in the nursing field through my clinical settings, I have realized as a nursing student there are areas I need further development in. In this paper, I will address two of my learning needs and my goals for each.
Hinkle, Janice, and Kerry Cheever. “Management of Patients with Chronic Pulmonary Disease." Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, 13th Ed. Philadelphia: Lisa McAllister, 2013. 619-630. Print.
"Registered nursing duties may include: consulting with physicians and other healthcare professionals, establish treatment plans and operating medical equipment, and administering medications and treatments. Nurses also have numerous possible areas to specialize in such as neo-natal intensive care, cardiac care, neurologic care or dermatology, with a diverse patient population."(What Nurses Do) Nurses not only responsible for patient care, they also observe and record patient behavior, physical appearance, diet, and abnormalities. All hospitals, rehabilitation centers, nursing homes, and clinic require a type of medical charting and reports. Nurses must be able to work with different medical system browsers and be able to identify the care plan for a patient and record it properly. Because patients in hospitals and nursing care facilities require round-the-clock care, facilities need a nurse on staff at all times. Nurses in theses setting usually works shifts covering all 24 hours. They may work nights, weekends, and holidays, and often may be called in or be on call. Today, registered nurses are relied upon for their critical-thinking skills, and are expected to possess a much broader base of knowledge, including humanities, social sciences, and data
appropriate training is needed due to the responsibilities of a nurse. Some of the responsibilities