Patient care

Wheel-locking capability and need for safety straps Side rail height sufficiency to prevent falls Need to transfer IV poles Ability to accommodate patient positioning Mattress on gurney is held in place Ability to use patient transfer device Maneuverability of transportation device Transportation device deemed safe 

Elevate the side rails and apply a safety strap 

Confirm IV lines, indwelling catheters, monitoring lines, and drains 

Protect head and arms and make the patient as comfortable as possible 

Transport patient feet first and avoid qnick movements 

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M. A. Newberry, Textbook of Hemodialysis for Patient Care Personnel, CC Thomas, Springfield, lU., 1989. 

There are a number of designs for dental implants. The patient must have ample bone and the proper design should be chosen for each iadividual. Another factor that affects the success of dental implants is patient care of the implant and dental hygiene. 

The nursing process is a framework for nursing action consisting of problem-solving steps that help members of the health care team provide effective patient care. It is both a specific and orderly plan used to identify patient problems, develop and implement a plan of action, and then evaluate the results of nursing activities, including the administration of drug . 

RISK FOR INJURY Some patients with a viral infection are acutely ill. Others may experience fatigue, lethargy, dizziness, or weakness as an adverse reaction to the antiviral agent. The nurse monitors these patients carefully. Call lights are placed in a convenient place for the patient and are answered promptly by the nurse. If fatigue, dizziness, or weakness is present, the patient may require assistance with ambulation or activities of daily living. The nurse plans activities so as to provide adequate rest periods. 

Isolation is usually not necessary, but hospital policy may require isolation procedures. Stool precautions are usually necessary. The nurse washes the hands thoroughly after all patient care and die handling of stool specimens. 

The physician prescribes naltrexone (ReVia) 25 mg PO initially. The nurse is to observe the patient carefully and if no withdrawal signs appear, 100 mg PO of the drug is prescribed every other day. On hand is naltrexone 50-mg tablets. The nurse administers as the initial dose. 

SKELETAL MUSCLE RELAXANTS. These drugs may cause drowsiness. Because of the risk of injury, the nurse evaluates the patient carefully before allowing the patient to ambulate alone. If drowsiness does occur, assistance with ambulatory activities is necessary. If drowsiness is severe, the nurse notifies the primary health care provider before the next dose is due... 

When an adrenergic blocking drug is given for a life-threatening cardiac arrhythmia, which of the following activities would die nurse expect to be a part of patient care ... 

BARBITURATES. The barbiturate phenobarbital (Luminal) is commonly used to treat convulsive disorders. When administering the barbiturates by the intravenous (IV) route, it is important not to exceed a rate of 60 mg/min and to administer the drug within 30 minutes of preparation. The nurse monitors the patient carefully during administration of a barbiturate. The blood pressure and respirations are taken frequently. Resuscitation equipment and artificial ventilation equipment are kept nearby. 

Older or debilitated adults may require a reduced dosage of diazepam to reduce ataxia and oversedation. The nurse observesthese patients carefully. Apnea and cardiac arrest have occurred when diazepam is administered to older adults very ill patients and individuals with limited pulmonary reserve. 

Critical Thinking Exercises—realistic patient care situations tiiat help die student apply the material contained in die chapter by exploring options and making clinical judgments related to die administration of dragp... 

Anxiety disorders are common in the population of opioid-addicted individuals however, treatment studies are lacking. It is uncertain whether the frequency of anxiety disorders contributes to high rates of illicit use of benzodiazepines, which is common in methadone maintenance programs (Ross and Darke 2000). Increased toxicity has been observed when benzodiazepines are co-administered with some opioids (Borron et al. 2002 Caplehorn and Drummer 2002). Although there is an interesting report of clonazepam maintenance treatment for methadone maintenance patients who abuse benzodiazepines, further studies are needed (Bleich et al. 2002). Unfortunately, buspirone, which has low abuse liability, was not effective in an anxiety treatment study in opioid-dependent subjects (McRae et al. 2004). Current clinical practice is to prescribe SSRIs or other antidepressants that have antianxiety actions for these patients. Carefully controlled benzodiazepine prescribing is advocated by some practitioners. 

Karshmer JF, Karshmer AI. Fland-held computing in the patient care setting. A pilot project. The Annual Symposium on Computer Applications in Medical Care 1995 7-11. 

Economic studies should consider the costs of all the resources and services used in the process of care. In addition, the outcomes that are a consequence of the health or social care interventions evaluated need to be included. For dementia, these include the costs of hospital inpatient and out-patient care, primary and community-based health-care services, social welfare services, and care provided by voluntary agencies or by femily and friends. Ideally, a broad perspective reflecting the costs and outcomes to society should be adopted. As a minimum, the perspective of the analysis should include the costs and outcomes to key health and social care providers or funders and to patients and their families. 

The file Is used routinely In the laboratory at the National Institutes of Health In an attempt to explain abnormal test results The resident physicians affiliated with the Clinical Chemistry Service discuss the results with the patient-care physicians and determine If the results were due to the patient s clinical state or to a drug effect This close monitoring of test results has led to recognition of deficiencies In what Is believed are specific enzymatic procedures for the measurement of glucose and uric acid Likewise, the gualac procedure for occult blood In feces was found to yield false negative results under certain circumstances This has prompted the development of a more specific procedure (Jaffe et al unpublished) ... 

Patient care areas Acute stroke teams Written care protocols Emergency medical services Emergency department Stroke unit... 

Critical care medicine is a cutting-edge medical field that is highly evidence-based. Studies are continuously published that alter the approach to patient care. As a critical care clinician, I am aware of the tremendous commitment required to provide optimal evidence-based care. Pocket Guide to Critical Care Pharmacotherapy covers the most common ailments observed in adult critically-ill patients. I utilize an algorithmic, easy-to-follow, systematic approach. Additionally, I provide references and web links for many disease states, for clinicians who want to review the available literature in greater detail. 

Elsewhere, it was found that errors by physicians and others is often not reported to patients, and surprisingly, 23% of physicians and 11% of patients in one study did not feel that physicians should report such errors to patients.15 Clinicians in the future will be expected to interact more, and more effectively, with patients. These expectations for improved interaction with patients will help both clinicians and patients to reach their therapeutic goals. The authors of the chapters in this text have worked through patient care problems that are commonly seen in practice, and the reader will benefit by using similar tactics to help their patients. 

The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology recommend strategies, or guidelines, for acute coronary syndrome patient care for ST-segment and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome. 

O Antithrombotic therapies require meticulous and systematic monitoring, as well as ongoing patient education. Well-organized anticoagulation management services improve the quality of patient care and reduce the overall cost. 

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