Category: Nursing

Nursing just like any other profession is guided by theories that are formed by predecessors. These theories are very useful and helpful in the line of duty. Nursing theories define what nursing is, describe what nurses are to do, and provide goals and outcomes of care for the patients.

The middle-range nursing theory just like grand theories amongst others provides a number of benefits to nurses in different departments or specializations. Most nursing students, clinical researchers, and registered nurses usually refer to nursing theories often for guidelines and case studies. The middle-range theory offers enough space for scholars to criticize and analyze some concepts in the grand theory.

Being acquitted with nursing theories is very valuable to the nursing fraternity as it contains undisputed information about the best practices in nursing. In this article, we want to expand on the middle-range nursing theory and how it is used.

Middle-range theory nursing definition

Middle-range nursing theory
is defined as the nursing theory that focuses on more definitive subjects. This theory is less than grand nursing theories. Most of the people who develop this theory refer more to the grand nursing theory because of the additional contribution to the already recorded research. The scholars tend to add the new experiences faced continuously.

What is a middle-range theory in nursing?

A middle-range nursing theory is used by nursing students because it provided an angle view of reality to the main concepts. The theory also gives more specific generalized concepts and this helps the nurses in their day-to-day duties.

There are three major types of middle-range theories.

Middle-range descriptive theories are mostly the basic type.

In this type, each descriptive theory describes a phenomenon that is surrounded by one concept. When a middle-range descriptive theory describes a concept, it automatically contains several common finding that is relatable. They are categorized using given parameters.

Middle-range explanatory theories.

These explanatory theories are based on two or more theories giving the basis of the relationship. This explanation theory expands further to the relationship between the two concepts. These theories are derived from scholarly research using quantitative design, tested, and proven beyond a shadow of a doubt. One good example of the middle-range explanation theory is Watson’s theory of humans.

Middle-range predictive theories.

There is a slight difference between predictive theories and middle-range explanatory theirs. The major difference is in predictive theory the concept is more predictable and more precise, unlike the explanatory concept.  This concept enlightens further the relation from one concept to the other or more. One good example is Orlando’s theory of the deliberative nursing process.

Middle-range nursing theory is important for students of nursing because it provides a middle reality view and more specifically generalized practice areas for the nurses.

It also provides the nurses with concrete ideas which are limited but very useful for them. Some of the middle-range theory of nursing examples are:

Theory of maternal role attainment

The framework of systemic organization

Synergy model

Theory of maternal role attainment

Nurse as wounded Healer

Theory of comfort and many

The theory of unpleasant symptoms

The theory of self-efficacy

Theory of empathy

Theory of pain

The theory of chronic sorrow

Theory of social support

The theory of interpersonal relations

The theories of reasoned action and planned behavior

Theory of group power within organizations

The theory of modeling and role-modeling

The theory of comfort

Theory of health-related quality of life

The theory of health promotion

The theory of the deliberative
nursing process
,

Theory of self-efficacy

Theory of resilience

Theories of uncertainly in illness

Theory of self-efficacy among other middle-range theories.

Difference between grand theory and middle range theory in nursing?

Grand nursing theories are most of the time regarded as very detailed and always regarded as very complex. The theories under grand might require thorough research to attain the in-depth results intended on a particular concept. The transcultural nursing theory is an example of a grand nursing theory.

On the contrary, middle-range nursing theories are typically less theoretical work as compared to grand nursing theories due to the absolute nature of the concept. The middle-range nursing theories tend to elaborate more on grand nursing theories by clearer elaboration.

Middle-range nursing theories are more all-inclusive and systematic. They are more descriptive as compared to grand theories where the concepts are brought about in part explanation.

Characteristics of middle-range theory nursing

Middle-range theories are having a number of characteristics. Below are a number:

Middle-range theories are more precise and narrower than grand theories

They are consisting of a limited number of concepts and hypotheses that are written in proportionately specific standards

Its content is dependent on another concept there cannot stand without a prior concept

Middle-range theories are regarded more as hypotheses and a work in progress

Middle-range theories are considered to be conclusive and systematic in design

The theory is considered to be unified in nature

Middle range theory in nursing practice

The middle-range theory is very instrumental in nursing practice because of the added research on the concepts. The scholars who add to the already established grand theories through thorough research have been very instrumental to the nursing fraternity.

Nurses face the adverse situation on daily basis in their line of duty. A middle-range theory like the theory of self-efficacy is very useful in the nursing practice. This theory reminds the nurses of their own self-care, self–monitoring, and self-management.  This theory promotes good self-care for patients and psychological health and other chronically ill patients. Below are some of the middle-range nursing theories developed by some scholars.

Modeling and role-modeling theory in nursing practice

Another middle-range theory in nursing practice is modeling and role-modeling theory. This theory is based on the ideology that all are meant to want to live a comfortably happy and meaningful life.  This is literally true. When plans that focus on the strength of our clients are taken into consideration we help them become more alive thereby living their lives fully and enjoyable. (Erickson, 2001, p. 309).

Theory of group power within organizations

The theory of group power within an organization is a very effective example of middle-range theories that are in use in the nursing carrier and was researched by Christina Sieloff. This theory emphasizes togetherness and working as a team amongst the nurses’ personnel. It is proved beyond doubt that working together yields good results and they tend to be the
supporting system
to each other.

This theory improves competency, and teamwork and above all promotes the organization’s excellence in service delivery among nurses. This theory is another word for harmony in a work environment.

Theory of empathy

The dictionary definition of empathy is the ability to be able to understand, comprehend and share the feelings of another.

Just like this middle-range theory of empathy, nurses are expected to show understanding and affection to the patients.  This theory is based on the fact that human beings have emotions. It further alludes that empathy comprises perceptions, self-awareness, and enlightenment, it is a self-esteem booster, promotes understanding, and is also a source of learning as it opens platforms for sharing.

Empathy also offers a therapeutic and mutual understanding between the patient and the healthcare provider. This gives the patient a sense of belonging. The health care providers could use words such as I would do the same if I was in your position: I totally understand how you feel; You must be feeling so bad; I can feel the pain in how you explain it; I understand how it feels;  such kind words not only, make the patient feel better but creates a band between the patient and the nurse.

The theory of interpersonal relations

The theory of interpersonal relationships in nursing is a descriptive middle-range theory. This theory puts much emphasis on the interrelationship between a person and her environment around. There are four major components of this theory that are applicable to nurses on the day to day basis.

Environmental needs are the forces outside the being of a person but still play an important role in his life. Nurses are required to use their interpersonal skills to manage the patient’s state of emotion. The skills such as
nursing leadership
would come in handy as the patient would want to hear a rather affirmative voice. 

Listening is also a skill that is highly recommended, in their sorry state patients need a listening ear, someone to listen to them this somehow gives them hope. Negotiation and a positive attitude amongst others are some of the interpersonal skills nurses must possess.

The theory of chronic sorrow

Dictionary describes chronic sorrow or pain as the periodic recurrence of permanent, pervasive sadness or other grief-related feelings associated with a significant loss

The theory of chronic sorrow is usefully considered for analyzing how patients cope with the pain that comes with chronic illnesses. Nurses are vetted in this as caregivers. Chronic sorrow theory urges nurses to view it as a normal occurrence and should not succumb to the pressure that comes with it and the emotional breakdown accompanied.

Nurses are encouraged to come up with coping tactics for the affected and offer support. In this way, nurses are able to be the source of comfort. In the cases of the loss of a loved one nurses are to be the source of encouragement to the believer.

Nurses are expected to offer support and explain that that is just a normal phenomenon. In chronic illnesses that are accompanied by excess pain. The nurses offer an explanation to the patients that the kind of pain they are experiencing is just normal and they should not think that it is something out of the ordinary.

Summary

Middle-range nursing theories are developed from the grand theories. Comparing grand theory vs middle range theories nursing grand theory tend to cover a discipline in a wider perspective as compared to a middle range which focuses more on expounding on a concept. Nurses and scholars have continuously influenced the grand concept from time to time. The middle-range theories have been improved by both scholars and nurses as the centuries unfold.

Are you searching for the nursing theories encompassed in the middle-range nursing theory?
https://onlinenursingpapers.com/
has thoroughly researched nursing theories on Middle range theories and the concepts from grand theories among other nursing theories

Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay

Differences between Type 1, Type 2, Juvenile, and Gestational Diabetes

Diabetes results from defects in insulin action, insulin secretion, or both (McCance & Huether, 2019). The two major types of diabetes are type 1 and type 2, but there is a type that arises during pregnancy called gestational diabetes. Type 1 used to be called juvenile-onset diabetes but is no longer called that since more cases of type 2 diabetes are arising in children than they have in the past (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). Type 1 is typically an autoimmune etiology where it attacks the beta cells in the pancreas that are responsible for insulin synthesis and secretion (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). Type 2 diabetes has an unknown etiology, but genetic factors seem to play an important role (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). There are many differences between the two major types, but management goals are the same with each and will use the same types of medications in treatment Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay. Type 1, unlike type 2, has a rapid onset with more definitive presenting symptoms such as polydipsia, polyphagia, and polyuria; whereas in type 2 the onset is gradual, and symptoms may take not be present initially (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). Once diagnosed with either one of these two major types they are going to need life-long treatment and management, unlike gestational diabetes which is usually relieved once the baby is delivered (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). According to the CDC (2021), “during pregnancy, your body makes more hormones and goes through other changes, such as weight gain. These changes cause your body’s cells to use insulin less effectively, a condition called insulin resistance.” Gestational diabetes is also managed similarly to the other two types of diabetes (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021) Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

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Insulin Lispro (Humalog) and Type 1 Management

This type of insulin is short-acting and great for covering the postprandial rise caused by meals due to its rapid onset of 15-30 minutes (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). This can be given either before meals or after meals due to this rapid onset as well (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). This insulin is usually administered via subcutaneous injection but can be administered through I.V. as well (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay Insulin lispro is very similar to natural insulin and the only real difference is the amino acids places are switched (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). This medication can be used for all types of diabetes.

When treating type 1 diabetes, there is a basal/bolus strategy used in the management of the disease (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). This means that there is the use of longer-acting insulin covering the basal insulin needs and a short-acting, such as lispro, that covers the increased glucose levels due to meals, snacks, and any other spike in blood glucose. This strategy in management usually has great success in keeping blood glucose ranges in a safe effective zone.

Dietary Considerations

Along with the management of type 1 diabetes with insulin, there needs to be strict dietary control as well (Burchum & Rosenthal, 2021). Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay Carbohydrates are the big key to managing and keeping consistent with intake from day to day to avoid major fluctuations in blood glucose levels making it difficult to manage (Diabetes Institute University of Florida, n.d.). It is also important to pick foods that are fiber-dense carbohydrates (Diabetes Institute University of Florida, n.d.). Everybody has different unique needs to meet with their foods and that is especially true for diabetics.

References

CDC. (2021). Gestational diabetes. Retrieved from 
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/gestational.html#:~:text=What%20Causes%20Gestational%20Diabetes%3F,body%20for%20use%20as%20energy
.

Diabetes Institute University of Florida. (n.d.). Type 1 diabetes nutrition. Retrieved from 

Type 1 Diabetes Nutrition

McCance, K. L. & Huether, S. E. (2019). Pathophysiology: The biologic basis for disease in adults and children (8th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby/Elsevier.

Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

 

Discussion: Diabetes and Drug Treatments

Each year, 1.5 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes (American Diabetes Association, 2019). If left untreated, diabetic patients are at risk for several alterations, including heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, neuropathy, and blindness. There are various methods for treating diabetes, many of which include some form of drug therapy. The type of diabetes as well as the patient’s behavior factors will impact treatment recommendations.

For this Discussion, you compare types of diabetes, including drug treatments for type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes.

Reference: American Diabetes Association. (2019). Statistics about diabetes. Retrieved from http://diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

To Prepare

Review the Resources for this module and reflect on differences between types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes.

Select one type of diabetes to focus on for this Discussion.

Consider one type of drug used to treat the type of diabetes you selected, including proper preparation and administration of this drug. Then, reflect on dietary considerations related to treatment.

Think about the short-term and long-term impact of the diabetes you selected on patients, including effects of drug treatments.

By Day 3 of Week 5

Post
 a brief explanation of the differences between the types of diabetes, including type 1, type 2, gestational, and juvenile diabetes. Describe one type of drug used to treat the type of diabetes you selected, including proper preparation and administration of this drug. Be sure to include dietary considerations related to treatment. Then, explain the short-term and long-term impact of this type of diabetes on patients. including effects of drug treatments. Be specific and provide examples.

By Day 6 of Week 5

Read
 a selection of your colleagues’ responses and 
respond 
to 
at least two
 of your colleagues on 
two different days
 who selected a different type of diabetes than you did. Provide recommendations for alternative drug treatments and patient education strategies for treatment and management.

 

Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay sample 2

Diabetes and Drug Treatments

Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the United State, with approximately 30 million people actively living with the disease. In the United States, about 37.3 adults diagnosed with diabetes don’t know they have it. In addition to that, the number of adults diagnosed with diabetes has more than doubled in the past 20 years (CDC, 2021).

There are three main types of diabetes. The first is Type 1, The second is Type 2 and the third is gestational diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is a chronic condition in which the pancreas produces little or no insulin. It was once known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay. Type 1 diabetes is most often diagnosed in children, teens, and young adults. Its symptoms usually develop quickly and there is currently no known measure for preventing it. Type 1 diabetics will require insulin daily for survival. Thus, insulin levels in type 1 diabetes patients severely decrease and eventually fall to zero (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). Whereas with type 2 diabetes, the body is unable to use insulin well to keep blood sugar levels at the normal range. Type 2 diabetes is mostly diagnosed in adults though becoming more common in children and young adults. It develops over time, and about 90-95 % of people with diabetes have type 2 (CDC, 2021). People with type 2 diabetes may not have symptoms which therefore makes it important for those at high risk to get tested since it can be delayed or prevented with healthy lifestyle changes (e.g eating healthy, being active, and weight loss). Gestational diabetes develops during pregnancy with an unknown cause and usually goes away after the baby is born but increases the woman’s chances of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Every year, gestational diabetes affects nearly ten % of pregnancies in the U.S (ADA, 2022). By working with your doctor closely, you can have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

There has been considerable progress toward diabetes management within the past twenty years. Even with such progress, fewer than half of diabetic patients are unable to reach their target blood sugar goals (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020). When it comes to medications for managing type 2 diabetes, Metformin has been the number 1 drug of choice that has been used for many decades to manage type 2 diabetes. Metformin is a tried and tested drug, recommended by many experts as 1st line therapy which is safe, affordable, effective, and well-tolerated by most people (Harvard Health Publishing, 2020)). Metformin works by lowering glucose production in the liver while improving the body’s sensitivity to insulin. This helps the body to use insulin more effectively. Possible side effects of metformin are nausea, bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain which may get better as time goes by. Vit. B-12 deficiency may be experienced by some patients, thus needing supplements (ADA,2022). Another medication must be added if metformin alone cannot adequately control blood sugar levels.

Type 2 diabetes can be well managed by following a healthy meal plan, exercising, losing weight, and taking the necessary prescribed medications to avoid short and long-term complications associated with it. Hypoglycemia and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic nonketotic syndrome (HHNS) are examples of short-term complications associated with type 2 diabetes (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). Long-term complications may develop over time causing damage to both tiny and large blood vessels. The complications from damage to blood vessels include eyes, kidneys, nerve disease, the heart, and brain.

With type 2 diabetes, it is important to work hard and stay consistent in keeping your blood glucose level under control by practicing healthy eating habits, exercising, and keeping a healthy weight as well as taking prescribed medications. This will help prevent the above-mentioned complications or help prevent them from getting worse if they already exist.

References

American Diabetes Association (ADA), (2022). What Are My Options? 
https://www.diabetes.org/healthy-living/medication-treatments/oral-medication/what-are-my-options

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), (2021). What is Diabetes? 
https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/diabetes.html

Harvard Health Publishing (2020). Type 2 Diabetes: Which Medication is Best for Me. 
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/type-2-diabetes-which-medication-is-best-for-me-2020110521256#:~:text=Metformin%20is%20a%20tried%20and,well%20tolerated%20by%20most%20people
.

 

Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). 
Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants 
(2
nd
 ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.

 

Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay sample 3

Differences in Types of Diabetes

As we intake carbohydrates our blood glucose levels rise. The pancreatic β cells secrete insulin in response to rising glucose levels to allow cells to take in glucose and convert it into energy or to be stored as fat. When people have impairments in their body’s ability to make insulin, respond to insulin, and generally regulate their blood glucose levels they are considered Diabetic. Type one diabetics make up the smallest group and often people develop this type as juveniles. Adults can also abruptly get this type of diabetes and thus it is no longer referred to as juvenile diabetes. This autoimmune disease attacks the β cells of the pancreas impairing their ability to make insulin Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay. Type two diabetes is characterized by insulin resistance and insulin secretion from the pancreas not coupled with increased glucose levels in the blood. Like type one diabetes, type two usually gets to the point that there is no insulin secretion by the pancreas. Gestational diabetes occurs due to placental hormones such as estrogen and cortisol increasing glucose levels and blocking insulin. Another way it occurs is due to the mother having hyperglycemia which increases fetal glucose levels resulting in hyperinsulinemia in the fetus. For all of these types tight glycemic control is important and occurs with frequent monitoring, medication, and lifestyle changes.

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Drug Therapy for Type 1 Diabetics

All type one diabetics are treated with insulin. To help maintain tight glycemic control a long acting insulin is helpful for basal coverage during times of fasting (Retnakaran & Zinman, 2021). Our liver continues to send out glucose when we are not eating and long acting insulin can help keep glucose levels in a safe range. A common long acting insulin type one diabetics use is insulin glargine (U-100) which is generally only needed once a day. It has no peak and lasts 18-24 hrs. Some people may need to administer twice a day (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). Patients should administer this insulin with a subcutaneous injection at the same time each day, rotate sites of administration, and use a new needle each time. Prior to using an insulin vial or pen it should be stored in a refrigerator and then used within 28 days after being kept at room temperature. The insulin should be kept out of direct light and away from heat Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

To cover glucose spikes during prandial times regular or fast acting insulin injections can be given. Regular short-acting insulin should be given one hour prior to eating, whereas fast acting insulin can be given within 15 mins before or after eating. As with long acting insulin, doses are given through subcutaneous injections rotated to different sites. It is important for patients to check their blood sugar levels prior to administering insulin to properly dose it. The dose is also dependent on the number of carbohydrates expected to be consumed. This close matching of insulin to carbohydrate intake helps maintain tight glycemic control. Lifestyle and dietary choices greatly affect glucose control as well.

Dietary Considerations

Since carbohydrates increase blood glucose rates it is important for individuals to know what foods contain them and to monitor the amount they consume. In addition to carbs, proteins have a correlating effect on postprandial glycemic spikes (Paterson et al., 2019). The American Diabetes Association (2019) recommends the Diabetes Plate Method for choosing meals- fill one half of the plate with non-starchy vegetables, one quarter with lean proteins, and one quarter with carbohydrate foods. They recommend using this method to increase compliance without all the hassle of counting each carb and protein. Working with a registered dietician can help get patients started in the right direction.

Short and Long-Term Impact

The short term impact of type one diabetes is hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia. Both are very dangerous and thus people need to not fast for very long, but eat small meals throughout the day to maintain adequate blood glucose levels. Patients need to properly dose their insulin so that they do not cause hypoglycemia as well. By following a diabetic diet hyperglycemia and diabetic ketoacidosis can be prevented Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay. When individuals with type one diabetes do not have dramatic spikes and lows in their glucose levels they decrease the long-term impacts of diabetes.

High blood glucose levels are bad for our arteries and over time cause damage to the walls of them. Many people develop diabetic retinopathy which can cause loss of vision. These vessels are so tiny and are often the first ones affected by hyperglycemia. The kidneys can also be affected and people often get nephropathy which will affect the body’s ability to eliminate waste and regulate blood pressure. Cardiovascular disease needs to be treated in diabetic patients with the recommended angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin II receptor blocker (Rosenthal & Burchum, 2021). With so many possible complications as a result of this autoimmune disease if is important to work closely with a provider who can monitor the various body systems affected by it Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

Conclusion

The various types of diabetes require different treatment approaches. They all require tight glucose control to help reduce the risk of sometimes life threatening complications. Type one diabetics need to inject themselves with insulin to make up for what their pancreas is no longer able to do. Through constant monitoring of levels, making healthy lifestyle choices, diabetic patients can live good lives and avoid many of the adverse effects that can happen. Genetics plays a big role in who gets diabetes, but through modifiable factors it is no longer a death sentence. Medications continue to be developed and studied that can mimic our body’s own natural release of insulin. These new findings are helping more and more people be compliant and in control of this disease. It is exciting to see what more we can learn as we educate and treat the millions of diabetics in this country.

 

Resources

American Diabetes Association. (2019). 
What is the diabetes plate method? 
https://www.diabetesfoodhub.org/articles/what-is-the-diabetes-plate-method.html#:~:text=The%20Diabetes%20Plate%20Method%20is,you%20need%20is%20a%20plate
!

Paterson, M. A., King, B. R., Smart, C. E., Smith, T., & Lopez, R. (2019, August 27). Impact of dietary protein on postprandial glycaemic control and insulin requirements in type 1 diabetes: A systematic review. 
Diabetic Medicine, 36
 (12), 1585-1599.  
https://doi.org/10.1111/dme.14119

Retnakaran, R., & Zinman, B. (2021, September 16). The ongoing evolution of basal insulin therapy over 100 years and its promise for the future. 
Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: A Journal of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 24
(51).  
https://doi.org/10.1111/dom.14552

Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). 
Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants
(2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Diabetes and Drug Treatments Essay.

Unit 5: Infectious Diseases Pharmacology

Infectious Disease Pharmacology

Infectious Disease Pharmacology

Welcome to Unit 5 of Advanced Pharmacology

A large part of primary care is treating infectious diseases. Antibiotics, antiviral’s, and antifungals are anti-infective agents that you will need to be highly familiar and develop a comfort zone of knowledge and application of various agents. Spend time on these modules and gather additional resources to aid in your success. Some of those resources are listed in the optional books section of the syllabus. Categorizing and time-effective agents into classes are most helpful in understanding their mechanism of action. Sensitivity and resistance are factors to consider when prescribing anti-infected agents. In addition, there are steps in antimicrobial drug selection to consider when a diagnosis or differential diagnosis has been made. As you begin to put it all together, you will see that an accurate diagnosis or differential diagnosis is crucial to rational drug selection. Special population characteristics also come into consideration.

Unit Learning Objectives

Examine the principles of pathophysiology and therapeutics that direct the pharmacotherapeutic interventions for infectious diseases

Analyze the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of agents used for management of infectious diseases

Apply the evidence for pharmacotherapeutic interventions in a patient with infectious diseases

Apply critical-thinking processes to the management and evaluation of expected effects and potential adverse effects of pharmacodynamic agents.

Week 7/Unit 5 “To Do” List

High-Yield Med Review Infectious Disease Quiz due 
Sunday of Week 7

Shadow Health Focused Exam: Pediatric GAS Pharyngitis due 
Sunday of Week 7

Shadow Health Anti-infectives Concept Lab due 
Sunday of Week 7

Prepare for Unit 4 & 5 Exam next week!

Learning Materials

Learning Materials

Lectures & E-Book

Busti, A. J. (2022). 
NP Curriculum Support-Advanced Pharmacology for NPs. 
MedEducation, LLC.

INFECTIOUS DISEASES PHARMACOLOGY

Penicillin Agents

Cephalosporins

Fosfomycin

Macrolides

Fluroquinolones

Antibiotics-other

Anaerobic Agents

Influenza-Antiviral Review

Antifungals

SPECIAL TOPICS IN PHARMACOLOGY

Drug Allergies and Cross Reactivity – Penicillin Allergies

Drug Allergies and Cross Reactivity – Sulfa Allergies

ADVANCED DRUG CLASS REVIEW TOPICS

Ophthalmic Antibiotics for Bacterial Eye Infections

Optional Learning Resources

Media

Khan Academy Medicine. (2015, June 26). 
Treating HIV: Antiretroviral drugs, infectious disease
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Parkes, C. (2019, June 26). 
Nursing pharmacology – TB, antiprotozoal, antifungal and antiviral meds 
[Video]. YouTube. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEcQrLpdi1I

Speed Pharmacology. (2018, March 26). 
Pharmacology – antibiotic – cell wall and membrane inhibitors (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Speed Pharmacology. (2018, May 3). 
Pharmacology – antibiotics – DNA, RNA, folic acids, protein synthesis inhibitors
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Websites

Gilbert, D. N., Chambers, H. F., Eliopoulos, G. M., Saag, M.S., & Pavia. A. T. (2017). 
The Sanford guide to antimicrobial therapy
 (47th ed.). Sperryville, VA: Antimicrobial Therapy.

Note:
 This resource is also available in electronic book formats and mobile formats at 
https://store.sanfordguide.com/antimicrobial-therapy-c2.aspx

Hollier, A. (2011). 
Pediatric dosage cards. Lafayette
, LA: Advanced Practice Education Associates.

Note:
 These dosage cards can be purchased at 
https://www.apea.com/clinical-resources/pediatric-dosage-cards

Khan Academy. (2018n). 
Infectious diseases
. Retrieved March 11, 2021, 
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/infectious-diseases

HYMR Quiz – Infectious Disease

Following review of all assigned lectures and correlating E-book chapters in High Yield Med Review, you will complete the module quiz in the HYMR platform.

From the Dashboard select “EXAMS”

Navigate to the 
“Infectious Diseases – Self Assessment” 

Click “Take Exam”

You will have  
one 
attempt to complete 10 questions in 15 minutes. Once completed, please take a screen shot of your score and upload to this assignment tab for grading. This quiz is worth 20 points, so based on your % score you will receive the correlating points below.

100%

20 points

90%

18 points

80%

16 points

70%

14 points

60%

12 points

50%

10 points

40%

8 points

30%

6 points

20%

4 points

10%

2 points

No submission

0 points

*Please note, faculty are able to view your time and activity in HYMR.*

Shadow Health: Concept Lab – Anti-infectives

The purpose of this Shadow Health Concept Lab assignment is to help you achieve the following  
Course Learning Outcomes 1-5.

Assignment:

This week you will participate in a Shadow Health Concept Lab pertaining to anti-infective medications. This will allow you to learn about pharmacological concepts related to commonly administered anti-infective drugs. This module should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

What to Submit:

Upon completion of the assignment:

Submit your completion certificate

Submit your reflection response to the questions below

Reflection Response Instructions: 
Submit a 1 page reflection response to the questions below. Please use APA format and include one scholarly reference.

What are some available resources/guidelines that you will use to help select appropriate antibiotics? Give brief overview of how this will apply to your NP practice. 

Shadow Health Technical Support

If at any time you have any questions or encounter any technical issues regarding the Digital Clinical Experience, please contact the Shadow Health support specialists by visiting the Learner Support Page at   
http://support.shadowhealth.com
 for contact information and hours. You may email the Learner Support team directly at   
support@shadowhealth.com
 at any time or by calling 800.860.3241.

Shadow Health: Focused Exam: Pediatric GAS Pharyngitis

The purpose of this Shadow Health Focused Exam assignment is to help you achieve  
Course Learning Outcomes 1-5.

Assignment:

This assignment provides the opportunity to conduct a focused exam on a pediatric patient who presents with Group A Streptococcal Pharyngitis. You will interview Sophia Haddad and her father, Omar, using therapeutic communication and obtain enough subjective data to determine the appropriate pharmacological therapy for her condition. After the patient exam, you will select the most appropriate medication for Ms. Haddad and educate her father on how to safely administer it and care for Sophia while she is sick. If applicable, you will write a prescription for the selected medication.

What to Submit:

Upon completion of the assignment, submit your completion certificate/lab pass that shows the DCE score to this assignment link..

Shadow Health Grading

All assignments will be graded using the DCE Score. Reopening and multiple attempts are allowed so the student can submit the best score for grading. Each student will submit the “lab pass” showing their DCE score to the designated assignment tab in Blackboard. Grading will be based on the DCE score received on the assignment that correlates with the points allocated in the table below. An incomplete assignment will result in the grade of zero. Faculty will monitor student engagement within the Shadow Health platform to ensure active participation to complete all the assignment requirements.

DCE Score

Points

95-100

20

90-94

18

85-89

15

80-84

13

Below 79

10

No submission

0

Login page: 
“Shadow Health Access” link on left panel

Assignment Due Date:
 Sunday of Week 6

Shadow Health Technical Support

If at any time you have any questions or encounter any technical issues regarding the Digital Clinical Experience, please contact the Shadow Health support specialists by visiting the Learner Support Page at     
http://support.shadowhealth.com
 for contact information and hours. You may email the Learner Support team directly at     
support@shadowhealth.com
 at any time or by calling 800.860.3241.

Unit Conclusion

Unit Conclusion

As we wrap up week 7 of Advanced Pharmacology, we covered a large amount of information in a common area of primary care, which is treating infectious diseases. I hope you continue to spend time on this material and gather additional resources to aid in your success. As you continue to put it all together, you will see that an accurate diagnosis or differential diagnosis is crucial to rational drug selection.

The nursing care plan is a document that is recorded by nurses during patient assessment. The nursing care plan must contain the details of diagnosis, treatment procedure and the intended goal to be achieved, the medication and appointment dates, and a final evaluation plan after the recorded number of days.

Nurses’ core objective is to save lives and help patients manage conditions that are not treatable. They prescribe a care plan for the situation. A nursing care plan also identifies the best treatment procedure, how it should be done, and any risks that could be involved.  This plan varies from diagnosis to diagnosis and there cannot be treated as universal.

Nurses are expected to train the caregivers on how to carry out the plan in the cases in which the patient is to be treated at home. With time-to-time supervision family, members can care for their patients. There are a number of care plans that nurses can subscribe to. Below are some care plans that can be prescribed by nurses and diagnosis or a procedure. Let us now discuss a number of nursing care plans that can be prescribed.

Wondering where to start with writing care plans? Well, a nursing care plan has essential elements like assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

Assessment

This is the first stage which involves data collection either from the patient or the caregiver. The nurse is expected to critically think through the questions and answers given.

Diagnosis

The nurse’s diagnosis will advise that kind of care to be prescribed.

Planning

This is the stage where the goal and outcomes are formulated. The kind of care plan that befits the patient. During this stage, goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-bound are set for the nurses.

Implementation

This is where the formulated care plan is put into action. These could range from injections to the patient being put on oxygen or ventilation. This is the action stage.

Evaluation

This is where the nurses evaluate if the action plan was successful or not. They get to know the limitations of the plan and if need be regroup to have another water-tight plan. Nurses can consultatively refer to medical records to have a clear assessment.

Components of nursing care plans

Writing care plans are part of the nurses’ duty to their patients and to the
nursing institution
. This plan is a part of record keeping for the patient and it encourages continuity even in the absence of the administering nurse. While writing a care plan, there are strict formats and details that nurses must record. Making mistakes during the writing of the care plan can lead to the wrong diagnosis, and wrong prescription and these could lead to the death of the patient.

While writing nursing care plans, nurses should consider the following steps

The nurse must assess the patient and be able to analyze the symptoms presented

The nurse must come up with a possible diagnosis to be able to explore a better treatment procedure. This could be dependent on the level of seriousness.

The nurse must create a rapport with the patient and set goals. This will be informing the nurse what to expect from the care plan prescribed.

The nurse must review the progress and be flexible to change the care plan accordingly if the need arises. Nurses must be flexible to change the care plan if the initial set goal is not met.

Evaluation of the plan

Writing a care plan could vary from one patient to another depending on the type of diagnosis. Caregivers must also be educated by the nurses on the handling patients like urinary retention patients on catheters amongst others.

Nursing care plans diagnoses interventions and outcomes

The process of assessment, diagnosis, and then evaluation stages are geared towards formulating a preferred care plan. The nurses must evaluate their plan and gauge its success. This allows them to use it as precedence on other decisions while creating a care plan

Nurses are mandated to communicate the diagnosis to the patients and the caregivers. During discharge, nurses prescribe these care plans for conditions that can be managed at home.

Let’s now discuss nursing care plan examples and some considerations nurses must keep while writing a care plan.

Postpartum nursing care plan

Postpartum nursing care is that care plan prescribed by nurses to the new mother although it is dependent on the type of delivery could be normal birth or a C-section birth. It is always a joy for every mum to come out of postpartum healthy.

Postpartum care involves the mother and the infant. The watch is on the baby’s breastfeeding pattern, jaundice check, mother and child attachment care, infection on the c-section area or the episiotomy area, and childbirth trauma to the mother.

Normal delivery care plan

Normal delivery is always every woman’s wish because of the limitation of the number of births in the C-section.  Normal birch also has a set of a care plan that the nurses prescribed for the episiotomy like:

Warm bath sitting

Medication was prescribed after assessing the amount of bleeding

Usage of postpartum pads

Cleaning oneself from the front to the back

C section delivery

This is a major procedure to save the mother and the infant.  Some women choose it voluntarily while some are forced by the birth canal not dilating enough to also the passage of the infant.

Wound cleaning

Infection of the incision area

Anxiety

Headaches from the anesthetic drugs.

Diabetic nursing care plans

Diabetic is a condition where a body is not able to produce enough insulin or utilize the produced ones in the body. As a result, a lot of sugar is stored in the body which eventually causes diabetes.

After the diabetic diagnosis and treatment at the facility, the patient is released under the care of the family members under the instruction of a nurse care plan.

The prescribed care plan are:

Dosage administration.

Diet administration

Stress management among others

Psychosocial nursing care plans

Psychosocial patients are a group of patients with mental disorders, those suffering from emotional health, and social, and the effects of chronic diseases such as cancer, and HIV aids among others.

Nurses dealing with such patients are encouraged and given a positive perspective on life. In the plan, the nurses are to assess the self-esteem of the patients and offer training to the caregiver who will be expected to offer emotional, psychological, and financial support to the patient.

Nursing care plans for pneumonia

Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs. This makes breathing become strenuous for the affected patients. Nurses before setting out a care plan have to understand the history and the infection, diagnose the administer treatment.

In vast cases, nurses are forced to admit patients into the ventilator. Nurses in their care plans have to include teaching the caregivers how to handle the patient while at home and how they should keep the surrounding. In most cases treatment is through medication or ventilation.

Hospice nursing care plans

Hospice care plans are for patients with chronic illnesses. Cancer and tumor are among the illness that requires hospice care plans. Nurses conduct diagnosis and then administer medication.

Hospice care plans would include nursing care plans for depression because the patients’ under such care would easily plunge into depression and other, mental disorders. The home treatment plan must also be given alongside the appointment date. Patients on hospice care plans would also double in the end-of-life nursing care plans. This is for pain management as the patient would sometimes experience excruciating pain. The term end –of –life because that pain and the illness would eventually last a lifetime.

Nursing care plans for atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is known as an irregular yet very rapid heart rhythm caused by the structure of the heart. When writing a nursing plan the family history must be considered by the nurses as part of the diagnosis as well as nursing care plans for hypertension. A tentative caregiver’s plan and education must be provided for home management through drugs and appointments are booked. Caregivers must also be educated on the danger signs and when to call in. The patients under this care could also be under tia nursing care plans

Nursing care plans for COPD

This is caused by difficulty in breathing. Nurses are to collect data and help the patient reduce anxiety to help regulate the heartbeat then the patient can then be placed on oxygen. An evaluation can then be done on the patient after the care plan is implemented. In the event of discharge, the caregivers must be trained on when to call and how to care for the patient.

Nursing care plan diagnoses

Nurses at the diagnosis stage, employ their clinical judgment in formulating the care to be implemented. The clinical judgment could be derived from the North American
Nursing Diagnosis
Association (NANDA) which provides nurses with an updated list of diagnoses that could range from severe headaches in the back area, urine retention, edema, liver infection, etc.

During diagnosis, nurses are allowed to use literature referrals. Nurses use a three-phase diagnosis procedure that is: the problem-focused nursing diagnosis which entails the patient’s responses, all the related contributing factors to the diagnosis then the signs and symptoms shown by the patient.

Nursing care plans goals

The goal of a nursing care plan is to help in the documentation of the patient’s needs and the possible outcomes including the nursing intervention and implementations. The care plan is also part o the hospital’s health record as they help in the continuity of the patient’s care

While nurses are preparing the care plan, they are expected to lay down bare minimum guidelines to the plan. The plan must be SMART. The acronym stands for the letter – S – Specific; M – Measurable; A – Attainable; R – Realistic; T – Time-bound.

In a nursing care plan, there are short-term goals and long-term goals.

Short-term goal.

A short-term goal in the nursing care plan would be aimed at resolve the situation temporarily. These solutions might not last the patient for a long time. It might only be sustainable for a few days or a few hours depending on the situation. Such
short-term goals
could be applied to hospice patients.

Long-term goal.

These long-term goals in nursing care plans have a longer lifespan and could last for weeks and months. These could be in diabetic patients who could be monitored by caregivers at home. Do you want to write your nursing care plan? Well, check out sample nursing care plans.

Summary

A nursing care plan has 5 major components that are assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Before nurses write a care plan they must think through and draft one depending on the type of diagnosis.

Nurses must set specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bound goals for the patient’s care plan. These are to be evaluated later after the implementation of the plan. Nurses are allowed to collect data from caregivers or friends during care plan formulation.

Unit 4: Endocrine Pharmacology

Exam 1 Due this Week!

Exam 1 Due this Week!

Exam 1 will be available
 Thursday 10/6 – Saturday 10/8
, please plan accordingly to complete the exam during this timeframe.

Study Guide Exam 1 Advanced Pharmacology

Understand pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics

Be aware how medications are absorbed and what are factors or variables in drug absorption

Know pregnancy risk categories

Understand CYP 384 isoenzymes for metabolism

Understand drug steady state

Understand the following drug classes ace inhibitors mechanism of action and side effects, beta blockers mechanism of action and side effects, pacer dilators mechanism of action and potential side effects

Anti-hypertensive medication mechanism of action, side effects, and precautions

Heart failure-drugs used to treat

Angina and drugs used to treat

Aspirin therapy

Be knowledgeable of the medications to treat hyperlipidemia, know side effects, when to check labs and what labs to check for follow up

Anticoagulation medication mechanism of action, side effects, and precautions

Enter the exam through Respondus and navigate to the tab titled “Exams” to access Exam 1.

Endocrine Pharmacology

Endocrine Pharmacology

Welcome to Unit 4 of Advanced Pharmacology

The endocrine system is vast, and drugs used to treat disorders are numerous as well. Drug classes categorize the mechanism of actions and the subtle differences between in-class drugs. As 1 in 10 Americans has Diabetes, this is important disease management to understand and there are many pharmacologic choice for management to avoid long-term complications. Therefore, a strong understanding of pathophysiology is critical as we examine how these drug work to treat endocrine disorders.

*Please note this unit runs over 2 weeks.*

Unit Learning Objectives

Examine the principles of pathophysiology and therapeutics that direct the pharmacotherapeutic interventions for endocrine system and pertaining to diabetes management.

Analyze the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of agents used for management of endocrine system and diabetes management.

Apply the evidence for pharmacotherapeutic interventions in a patient with an endocrine system and diabetes management.

Apply critical-thinking processes to the management and evaluation of expected effects and potential adverse effects of pharmacodynamic agents.

Week 5 & 6/Unit 4 “To Do” List

Complete the HYMR Endocrine Quiz (week 5)

Unit 1-3 Exam available Thursday 9/29 – Saturday 10/1 (Must access via Respondus) (week 5)

Complete Shadow Health Focused Exam: HTN and Type 2 Diabetes (week 6)

Complete Shadow Health Antidiabetics Concept Lab (week 6)

Learning Materials

Learning Materials

Lectures & E-Book

Busti, A. J. (2022). 
NP Curriculum Support-Advanced Pharmacology for NPs. 
MedEducation, LLC.

ENDOCRINE PHARMACOLOGY 
(Week 5 & covers quiz content)

Insulin Therapy Review

Sulfonylurea & Meglitinides Review

Alpha Glucosidase Inhibitors Review

Biguanides (Metformin) Review

TZDs Review

DPP-4 Inhibitors Review

SGLT2 Inhibitors Review

GLP-1 Receptor Agonists Review

Amylin Analogs Review

Hypoglycemia

Corticosteroids Review–Pharmacology

Corticosteroids Review–Application

 ENDOCRINOLOGY-DIABETES MELLITUS 
(Week 6 & not on quiz)
 

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

GLP-1 Agonists & SGLT2 Inhibitors in CKD

GLP-1 Agonists & SGLT2 Inhibitors in CVD

GLP-1 Agonists & SGLT2 Inhibitors in hF

Diabetes Mellitus Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM)

ENDOCRINOLOGY-OBESITY 
(Week 6 & not on quiz)

Obesity-General Overview

Obesity-Lifestyle Management

Obesity-Obesity in CVD

Optional Learning Resources:

Media

Khan Academy (Producer). (2015). 
What is diabetes mellitus?
 [Video]. 
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/endocrine-system-diseases/diabetes/v/what-is-diabetes-mellitus?ref=health_staff_picks

Speed Pharmacology. (2017, September 24). 
Pharmacology – drugs for diabetes (made easy
). [Video]. YouTube.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWDQyaKVols

Websites

American Diabetes Association®. (2020). 
Get a handle on diabetes medication. 
Retrieved from 
https://www.diabetes.org/diabetes/medication-management

Khan Academy. (2018). 
Endocrine system diseases
. Retrieved from 
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/endocrine-system-diseases

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists
.
 (2018). Retrieved from 
https://pro.aace.com/

Note:
 Familiarize yourself with the AACE guidelines.

HYMR Quiz – Endocrine

Following review of all assigned lectures and correlating E-book chapters in High Yield Med Review, you will complete the module quiz in the HYMR platform.

From the Dashboard select “EXAMS”

Navigate to the 
“Endocrinology-Self Assessment” 

Click “Take Exam”

You will have  
one 
attempt to complete 10 questions in 15 minutes. Once completed, please take a screen shot of your score and upload to this assignment tab for grading. This quiz is worth 20 points, so based on your % score you will receive the correlating points below.

100%

20 points

90%

18 points

80%

16 points

70%

14 points

60%

12 points

50%

10 points

40%

8 points

30%

6 points

20%

4 points

10%

2 points

No submission

0 points

*Please note, faculty are able to view your time and activity in HYMR.*

Shadow Health: Concept Lab – Antidiabetics

The purpose of this Shadow Health Concept Lab assignment is to help you achieve the following  
Course Learning Outcomes 1-5.

Assignment:

This week you will participate in a Shadow Health Concept Lab pertaining to antidiabetic agents.This will allow you to learn about pharmacological concepts related to commonly administered antidiabetic drugs. This module should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

What to Submit:

Upon completion of the assignment:

Submit your completion certificate

Submit your reflection response to the questions below

Reflection Response Instructions: 
Submit a 1 page reflection response to the questions below. Please use APA format and include one scholarly reference.

What resources/guidelines will you use to help identify, diagnose, and treat diabetes? Give brief overview of how this will apply to your NP practice. 

Shadow Health Technical Support

If at any time you have any questions or encounter any technical issues regarding the Digital Clinical Experience, please contact the Shadow Health support specialists by visiting the Learner Support Page at   
http://support.shadowhealth.com
 for contact information and hours. You may email the Learner Support team directly at   
support@shadowhealth.com
 at any time or by calling 800.860.3241.

Shadow Health: Focused Exam: Hypertension and Type 2 Diabetes

The purpose of this Shadow Health Focused Exam assignment is to help you achieve 
Course Learning Outcomes 1-5.

Assignment:

This assignment is a focused exam with a patient who presents with hypertension and type 2 diabetes. You will conduct an interview with Arun Patel using therapeutic communication to determine the appropriate pharmacological therapy for his condition. After the exam, you will select the most appropriate medication for Mr. Patel and educate him on disease management and pharmacologic management. If applicable, you will write a prescription for the selected medication.

What to Submit:

Upon completion of the assignment, submit your completion certificate/lab pass that shows the DCE score to this assignment link..

Shadow Health Grading

All assignments will be graded using the DCE Score. Reopening and multiple attempts are allowed so the student can submit the best score for grading. Each student will submit the “lab pass” showing their DCE score to the designated assignment tab in Blackboard. Grading will be based on the DCE score received on the assignment that correlates with the points allocated in the table below. An incomplete assignment will result in the grade of zero. Faculty will monitor student engagement within the Shadow Health platform to ensure active participation to complete all the assignment requirements.

DCE Score

Points

95-100

20

90-94

18

85-89

15

80-84

13

Below 79

10

No submission

0

Login page: 
“Shadow Health Access” link on left panel

Assignment Due Date:
 Sunday of Week 6

Shadow Health Technical Support

If at any time you have any questions or encounter any technical issues regarding the Digital Clinical Experience, please contact the Shadow Health support specialists by visiting the Learner Support Page at    
http://support.shadowhealth.com
 for contact information and hours. You may email the Learner Support team directly at    
support@shadowhealth.com
 at any time or by calling 800.860.3241.

Unit Conclusion

Unit Conclusion

As we wrap up week 6 of Advanced Pharmacology, we recall learning about numerous drugs impacting the endocrine system and diabetes management. We now have lots of experiences understanding drug classes to categorize the mechanisms of actions and subtle differences between in-class drugs. We will continue to focus on building upon our pharmacology knowledge.

Following an increase in unexpected health issues, family health issues are receiving so much attention in the modern era. To promote good health, a family health assessment is now a widely used technique in healthcare systems around the globe.

Numerous health assessment tools and models have emerged due to the growing demand for family health assessments. To narrow the scope of the family health assessment, the model combines structural-functional family theory and general system theory. This blog will provide more information about family health assessment.

What is a family health assessment?

Family health assessment is the process of gathering information regarding
health promotion
and illness-preventive initiatives from the family. It entails a series of acts that are used to assess the family’s position as a client and its ability to function as a system.

It is also a kind of assessment done to assess, evaluate, and gain enough knowledge about a family‘s dynamics.

The practice of family health assessment

The practice of family health assessment is critical in ensuring that families have a good healthcare plan in place. It helps evaluate a family’s health, so health choices can be analyzed and used to make better health choices.

Each family has its own lifestyle choices, but members must abide by the family’s health decisions. The family’s priorities and culture influence health behaviors and decisions. A family-centered approach to better family health care is the main objective of family health assessment.

This is why these health patterns are chosen, and a specific family is interviewed about them using a few developed open-ended questions. A family health assessment allows for the development of a care plan for a family based on their specific needs.

These principles aid in the collection of data as well as the development of wellness interventions and diagnoses for the family. The overall health assessment generates extensive data for a comprehensive
nursing diagnosis
using evidence-based practice models and open-ended questions.

Importance of understanding your family’s medical history

Your risk of contracting hereditary diseases can be estimated using the genetic traits that run in your family. It is essential to understand your family’s medical history. You can achieve this through family history health assessment.

The more knowledge you have about your family’s medical history, the better. Make every effort to gain as much knowledge from your blood relatives as possible. Contacting family members and outlining the purpose of your data collection will help you achieve this.

When compiling your family’s medical history, there are a few crucial components you must remember to mention. They include the following:

Significant health conditions and conditions that run in the family

The starting age ( When each member of your family was diagnosed with a medical condition)

Reasons for death

If family members are unable to give you this information, records like death certificates may be able to help. Share information with other family members and make sure to record it in a secure location. You should also discuss the data with your doctor, who might suggest screening exams for conditions you could be at risk for.

Even though you can’t change your genetic makeup, knowing your family’s medical history can help you prevent disease. You can reduce your risk by quitting smoking, losing weight, changing your diet, exercising more frequently, or drinking less alcohol.

Factors to consider during the family health assessment

You can use numerous well-known family health assessment tools to carry out the process. Each tool will aid in gathering information about culture, functioning, family systems, and experiences.

Whatever tool you choose, there are several key ideas to consider when choosing a tool appropriate for each family. They are as follows:

Timing

It could be before or after the start of service delivery or during the intervention to assess its effectiveness method.

Data collected through checklists, questionnaires, and conversations

Includes family interests, concerns, traditions, activities, resources, and priorities.

Framework for development

Method of reporting

Importance of family health assessment

The practice of family health assessment is critical in ensuring that families have a good healthcare plan in place. It helps evaluate a family’s health, so health choices can be analyzed and used to make better health choices.

Each family is unique, with its own set of lifestyle choices. Family members must adhere to the family’s health decisions and ensure that every member adheres to them. The family’s priorities and culture influence health behaviors and decisions.

Family health assessment aims to prioritize a family-centered approach to providing better family health care. This is why a particular family is interviewed about these health patterns using a few specially developed open-ended questions.

Family health assessment examples

You can use the following family health assessment examples to help you understand more about family health assessment:

Family assessment genogram

A family genogram is a pictorial representation of a family ancestry that shows detailed statistics on the association among single individuals. It is used in many different fields, including medicine, mental processes, communal work, genealogy, patrimonial analysis, and education.

Comprehensive family assessment

The comprehensive family assessment identifies, considers, and weighs factors affecting children, youth, and their families to inform decision-making.

Child and family assessment

All assessments of children are conducted using the children and family assessment. It is a model that works well with the idea of collaborating to protect children.

How is family health assessment performed?

Family health assessments are now carried out using sophisticated techniques researchers have developed. The functionality and dynamics of families are evaluated using questionnaires, tasks, and observations. Family assessments are most frequently carried out by family therapists and behavioral scientists, during which competence, structure, dynamics, and other qualities are evaluated.

Family competence refers to whether a family is functioning as effectively as it can, is dysfunctional, or is in some other state. The family structure includes the functions that family members perform. The dynamics of the relationships between parents, siblings, and other family members are included.

Family dynamics, competence, and structure can all change over time due to death, divorce, illness, relocation, and other occurrences. The assessor decides the assessment’s primary focus. Genograms, which resemble a family tree and are used to track patterns across generations, are among other methods of family assessment.

Factors to consider when creating a family health assessment plan

To create an effective family health assessment plan consider the following:

Time

To create a health assessment plan that will be effective, it is crucial to take time to consider the family’s structure and parenting philosophy. Long-term time savings come from getting to know your patient’s family and their role in health care management. Without input from the patient and family, treatment plans are frequently doomed to failure.

The medical staff takes valuable extra time to reassess the family and frequently discovers strengths and obstacles that were present from the beginning. The illness and its effects on the patients’ and their families’ lives should be discussed by both parties. Give them as much time as you can to express their thoughts on the issues the illness is causing.

Partnership with the family and patient

You are establishing a relationship that serves as the foundation for patient and family teaching by taking time to listen to the patient and his family. A good family health assessment requires keen observational abilities and the capacity to listen intently. Anytime medical professionals interact with patients and families, they can collect assessment data.

It’s unnecessary to limit information gathering about family needs and requirements to structured interviews. You can learn more about the family and their role in the patient’s health care management whenever the family is present. To create a productive teaching-learning partnership with the patient and family, answer these questions.

Reasons for carrying out a family health assessment

A family may undergo an assessment for a variety of reasons which include the following:

To determine appropriate interventions

Family health assessments determine appropriate interventions for children who require early intervention services for various special needs. Understanding what a child does in the family context can help determine how best to intervene.

Determining what kinds of activities a child enjoys at home can assist intervention specialists in identifying opportunities for growth and development at home. As part of family therapy, a family health assessment is performed to assist families in overcoming obstacles to their growth and development as a cohesive unit.

Occurrence of a critical change

When a critical change occurs, you may perform a family health assessment. A family may seek an assessment in several circumstances, focusing on a specific child or the entire family unit. All assessments should respect and understand a family’s culture, religion, ethnicity, values, customs, and other factors that make family members unique.

To know the family dynamics

Knowing the dynamics between parents and siblings can help determine the best course of action for a child or family. Family assessments are not intended to pass judgment on the family but rather to investigate how family dynamics affect the child and family development.

To be aware of the family’s strengths and weaknesses

Families can become aware of their strengths and weaknesses through family health assessments. An assessment can help families use their strengths to promote their children’s development and limit harmful behaviors.

Implications of the family health assessment results?

Determines what happens after the assessment

The assessment’s purpose determines what happens due to a family health assessment. In the context of family counseling, it is used to map out strategies for building a stronger family in which all members can function optimally.

If the child has special needs or a developmental delay, the assessment may also determine how to support their development at home. If the family assessment is for assisting in responding to a disruption in the family unit, the assessment can provide strategies for overcoming obstacles and improving family function.

Predicts future behavior and outcomes

Family health assessment techniques can predict future behavior and outcomes if current behavioral patterns continue. Family
health assessment
results can also assist families in becoming aware of and changing issues in family structure, dynamics, and competence.

Principles of family health assessment

Build on strengths

Problems do not define a person. The family and the helper can better create a plan that uses current strengths as the cornerstone of the change process by recognizing and leveraging their strengths.

Take a holistic approach

A thorough analysis examines all the variables that impact the family, including all the
risk factors
and community and family protective factors. It is especially crucial to take into account both formal and informal resources.

Join the family members as a partner

Families are more aware of themselves than any helper will ever be. A partnership with the family ensures that the right supports and services are identified while enhancing the family’s sense of control and capacity for success.

Tailor services to the family

A good assessment should be detailed enough to act as the foundation for a support and service plan for a specific family.

Set and monitor specific goals

Setting definite, specific, and attainable goals will frequently benefit from a thorough family assessment.

The family health assessment questions

Knowing your family’s medical history will give you essential insights into your future and your family’s health. You can use family health assessment questions to learn more about the health issues in your family if you are unsure.

It’s essential to try and ask family members for personal health information even though you might feel awkward doing so. Choose a time when you’re less likely to be interrupted to allow a more relaxed conversation. You can identify your potential health risks with the information you collect.

Questions to include in the assessment are:

What would you say the current health status of your family is?

What do you do to promote health?

What diseases or medical conditions affect your nutrition or metabolism?

Do you have a history of surgeries or recurring illnesses?

Do you use alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs?

Do you currently take any prescription or over-the-counter medications?

In summary

Assessment of family health is crucial in one’s life. It enables you to comprehend some health trends and risks you were unaware of. Family health assessment questions help you to conduct an assessment with ease.

Remember to put into consideration the factors and principles of
family health assessment
. The family health assessment heavily relies on your family health history. Consider working with us if you find the entire process time-consuming or difficult. We’re ready to assist you!

Unit 3: Cardiovascular/Hematologic Pharmacology

Cardiovascular/Hematologic Pharmacology

Cardiovascular/Hematologic Pharmacology

Welcome to Unit 3 of Advanced Pharmacology!

Angina is a clinical symptom often associated with physical exertion. Acute and chronic angina is approached differently. This condition is often concomitant with diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. Risk stratification will be discussed, along with rational drug selection and treatment algorithms.

Additionally, this week will include hyperlipidemia. There are familial tendencies as well as lifestyle considerations when addressing this topic. This unit will explore treatment options and criteria for improve lipid profiles of your patients.

Unit Learning Objectives

Examine the principles of pathophysiology and therapeutics that direct the pharmacotherapeutic interventions for cardiovascular and hematologic conditions.

Analyze the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of agents used for management of cardiovascular and hematologic conditions.

Gather and apply the evidence for pharmacotherapeutic interventions in a patients with cardiovascular and hematologic conditions.

Week 4/ Unit 3  “To Do” List

Complete the HYMR Cardiovascular/Hematologic Quiz

Study for upcoming exam covering Unit 1-3

Learning Resources

Learning Resources

Lectures & E-Book

Busti, A. J. (2022). 
NP Curriculum Support-Advanced Pharmacology for NPs. 
MedEducation, LLC.

CARDIOVASCULAR/HEMATOLOGIC PHARMACOLOGY

Heparin & LMWH

VKOR Inhibitors

Direct Xa Inhibitors

Aspirin

ADP Inhibitors

Statins for LDL

Non-Statins for LDL

Meds for NonHDL and HDL

Unit 3 Optional Learning Resources:

Media

Speed Pharmacology. (2017). 
Pharmacology – drugs for hyperlipidemia (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Speed Pharmacology. (2017). 
Pharmacology — anticoagulants & antiplatelet drugs (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Websites

American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and American College of Endocrinology Guidelines for Management of Dyslipidemia and Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease 
https://www.endocrinepractice.org/article/S1530-891X(20)42959-3/fulltext

ASCVD Risk Estimator  
https://tools.acc.org/ldl/ascvd_risk_estimator/index.html#!/calulate/estimator/

HYMR Quiz – Cardio/Heme

Following review of all assigned lectures and correlating E-book chapters in High Yield Med Review, you will complete the module quiz in the HYMR platform.

From the Dashboard select “EXAMS”

Navigate to the 
“Cardiology/Hematology – Self Assessment” 

Click “Take Exam”

You will have 
one 
attempt to complete 10 questions in 15 minutes. Once completed, please take a screen shot of your score and upload to this assignment tab for grading. This quiz is worth 20 points, so based on your % score you will receive the correlating points below.

100%

20 points

90%

18 points

80%

16 points

70%

14 points

60%

12 points

50%

10 points

40%

8 points

30%

6 points

20%

4 points

10%

2 points

No submission

0 points

*Please note, faculty are able to view your time and activity in HYMR.*

As a practicing nurse or nursing student, you may have heard of critical care nursing. You might have a little idea of what it is all about. That leads you to search “What are critical care nursing” This article will discuss in details critical care nursing by giving definitions of key terms, sample topics, and more in-depth information.

Many instructors ask nursing students to write a paper on acute and critical care nursing. As a beginner student, it might be difficult for you to write an essay on this topic unless you have conducted research. This could be tiring and time-consuming. In this paper, we will discuss the things that you need to know about critical care nursing. For any kind of assistance concerning your assignment, we are a chat away.

What is critical care nursing?

Critical care nursing is a discipline within nursing that specializes in human responses to life-threatening problems. Critical care nurses are also referred to as ICU nurses. ICU nurses can work in different hospital settings, such as coronary care units, general intensive care units, medical intensive care units, surgical intensive care units, trauma intensive care units, cardiothoracic intensive care units, and some trauma center emergency departments.

Critical care nursing is essential in a hospital setting because it helps cater to the needs of ill patients and their families to receive optimal care. Critically ill patients suffer from life-threatening medical problems such as cardiac disease, brain injuries, accident victims, and patients recovering from complex surgeries.

These conditions require frequent monitoring, and they generally need tubes to assist with breathing and medications to regulate their blood pressure. The ICU unit could not function without a critical care nursing team.

How do you Qualify to join critical care nursing?

Aspiring ICU nurses must become registered nurses to join intensive and critical care nursing. You can graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and or associate degree in Nursing and meet state requirements to get a nursing license. Given the intense nature of critical care nursing, as a fresh critical care nurse, or a practicing student, you may prefer to gain the experience first or at least a better feel for the work. You can begin with job shadowing.

What are the everyday duties of a critical care nurse?

Critical care nurses assist critical physicians with procedures such as endoscopy, bronchoscopy, endotracheal intubation, and elective cardioversion on patients that require increased ventilatory support.

Like all registered nurses, critical care nurses provide essential medical services like:

Monitoring and evaluating major signs, administering medication, reacting to changes in a patient’s condition, and using various technical and medical equipment.

Prioritize nursing care, continuously evaluate the patient’s resources, and systematically perform measures to maintain, strengthen or restore functional capacity on the assigned critically ill patients.

Monitor and record symptoms and changes in patient conditions and information to the Physician and consult with the whole healthcare team about the patient care plans.

Acting as a patient advocate. Critical care nurses deal with the most vulnerable patients. They must respect the directives and rights of the patient at times when they may not be able to communicate or represent themselves.

Providing education and support to patient families. Critical care nurses ensure that the patient and their loved ones understand the complexities and realities of their medical condition and potential outcomes to make the most informed choices.

Dimensions
of critical care nursing

Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

This is where critically ill infants and children receive the highest quality pediatric care in a hospital setting. Complex postoperative monitoring and care for infants with pediatric congenital heart surgery are not possible in a regular pediatric ward.

In the pediatric Intensive Care Unit, the critical care nurse regularly assesses the temperature, airways, breathing, blood pressure, and blood circulation. Any changes will enable the nurse to identify and diagnose the problem immediately.

2.      Hospital Emergency Rooms

This is where patients with acute emergencies receive immediate critical care nursing treatment. An urgent care nurse will take the patient’s medical history and briefly examine their symptoms. The nurse prioritizes the patient level based on their medical history and current condition according to the following scale: Resuscitation, emergency, urgent, Semi-urgent, or non-urgent.

Sometimes, the critical care nurse must start diagnostic testing to reduce the time spent waiting for medical treatment. The critical care nurse should be keen should the symptoms worsen as the patient waits. Take the patient to the triage room should their condition get worse. Do not allow more than one person to accompany them.

3.      Intensive Care Units (ICU)

ICU cares for people in the unstable stage of life-threatening conditions, such as severe injury or illness. They receive around-the-clock critical care nursing through monitoring and life support in the ICU. The ICU can accommodate individuals who have had a cardiac emergency, like a heart attack or sudden stoppage of their heart, or critically ill or injured elderly patients.

While the underlying cause of illness is being treated, the critical care nursing team ensures that the body functions and the condition are stabilized. This could be done by monitoring the temperatures, pulse rate, and blood pressure or by putting on a ventilator to help the patient breathe if they can’t breathe independently.

4.      A step-down unit

Patients who must be on a cardiac monitor are taken to a step-down unit. These patients are stable but may require critical care nursing and monitoring because they have some potential to become unstable. The majority of these patients end up being heart patients.

5.      The Trauma and Burn Intensive Care Unit

These units provide critical care for burn and trauma patients requiring intensive therapeutic interventions resulting from the injuries. Other than the critical care nursing team, there are crucial care physicians, wound care experts, orthopedic surgeons, dieticians, neurosurgeons, vascular surgeons, social workers, radiologists, cardiologists, and rehabilitation specialists in this unit.

They tailor care to the individual needs of each critically ill patient. This could be surgical care treatment, burn surgery, or plastic surgery for gunshot wounds, third-degree burns, or for patients involved in fatal accidents.

Are you searching for Critical Care Nursing Research Topics?

Critical care nursing is an evolving field. We’ve got you if you are looking for critical care nursing research topics. We have a good list of the latest critical care nursing topics. You can apply them for your undergrad and master’s critical care nursing program papers. Similarly, we list topics from other disciplines like marketing, psychology, management, and
human resources
if you want. We can also help you in handling your paper on time and efficiently.

Here are some critical care nursing research topics and titles for nursing students from any academic level. Opt for the critical care nursing topics of your choice and start writing your papers in nursing. Alternatively, you can hire our professional services to customize critical care nursing research topics.

Risk factors of pressure injuries among critically ill ICU patients.

Analyzing and evaluating the importance of timing in critical care nursing units.

Understanding the essentials of critical care nursing- a literature review.

Do nurses face problems with visitors? How do they cause disturbance?

Critical nursing analysis in the past 10 years- Literature review

Analyzing the strategies of management of patients suffering from dementia.

Case analysis of the US. Maintaining professional habits in the intensive care system.

Quick examination and plans for patients above the age of 50 years.

Do you think visitors should be allowed in intensive care units?

Examination of the nurse’s perspective on essential visitors of the patient.

Necessary care education is vital among critical nurses – a cross-country analysis.

A case scenario analysis-The difference between planned and emergency surgeries

The research on Ventilator-associated ill patients and their importance in health care facilities.

Challenges encountered by the critical care nursing system

A critical analysis of key challenges nurses face in ICU

Study on care in a technologically challenging work environment.

Study on the challenges facing patients with heart failure in the primary
health care
units.

Equipment used for training the nurses in the critical care units.

The importance of intensive and urgent care in the nursing field.

Why Should nurses prescribe medicines to critical patients?

A case analysis on the status of psychological aid in ICU patients.

The miscommunication between the nurses and Physicians in the intensive care unit.

Communicate between the caregivers and the critical patients in the ICU.

How do nurses manage covid’19 acute patients?

Issues faced by healthcare workers during the covid’19 period

Was the personal life of critical care nurses affected by the covid situation?

What was the real condition of the critical care nursing department during the COVID-19 pandemic?

What is the importance of job satisfaction in a
nursing career
?

Does low pay demotivate nurses?

What are the problems that nurses face while decision-making for patients?

A survey analysis of how nurses make end-of-life decisions?

Spiritual wellness survey.

A comparison between good critical thinking and effectiveness in decision-making in critical nurse’s care?

What is the impact of a good relationship between nurse and patient in the intensive care unit?

Define burnout syndrome, and explain how it affects the quality-of-care nurses offer.

What measures must nurses take instantly to manage open wounds in urgent patient care?

Is a nurse’s private life affected by the patient’s outcome?

Do Males and females get different types of critical care?

Critical Care Nursing Case Studies Examples

Some of the Critical Care
Nursing Case Studies
Examples Include:

Case study on causes and effects of burnout patients in critical care.

Case Study on doing critical care nurses accomplish resilience.

Case Study on physical and psychological stress among health care workers.

Case study on post-traumatic effect system for the nurses after a patient’s death.

Low income in ICU nurses and how it affects their work attitude and motivation

Case Study on the role of nurses in nutritional care to acute care patients

Case Study on the patients with HIV/AIDs and how nurses play their role.

Evidence-Based Practice Topics in Critical Care Nursing

Evidence-based practice topics in critical care nursing discuss the safest care provided by healthcare professionals. Evidence-based practice uses current knowledge and the best evidence to decide how to care for critically ill patients. This means that research is performed by nursing experts on intensive and critical care nursing for patients in ways that ensure the best patient outcomes. This information is published and disseminated to current critical care nurses through education, practice, and published literature.

Some examples of evidence-based practice in critical care nursing include:

Implementing measures to reduce impaired skin risks by using heel and elbow protectors and keeping skin clean and dry.

Avoiding frequently scheduled ventilator circuit changes. Frequent scheduled ventilator circuit changes can increase the risk of ventilator-acquired pneumonia.

Administering oxygen to a client with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Critical Care Nursing Thesis Topics

The critical care nursing thesis topics include:

Is it Time to Change our Methods? Safe and Efficient Vital Signs-

Combating Compassion Fatigue Among Emergency Department Nurses.

Preventing 30-Day Readmission for Patients with Heart Failure.

Reducing Delirium in the ICU: Implementing a Sleep Protocol.

Challenges encountered by the critical care nursing system

Providing critical care in rural areas. An insight into a critical care nursing provider’s experience

Ethical and legal dilemmas

Emotions and feelings in critical care nursing.

The challenges of nursing students in critical learning

Intensive care unit challenges

Current issues in ICU

Critical Care Nursing Care Plan

Creating care nursing plans for clients is based on preventing complications during the healing process. Performing an accurate nursing assessment allows the nursing staff to manage the patient’s pain and prevent complications. In emergency trauma care, basics include triage, evaluation and maintaining the airway, breathing, and circulation, protecting the cervical spine, and assessing the level of consciousness.

Critical Care Nursing Care Plan Examples could include fracture nursing care plans, heart failure nursing care plans, geriatric nursing care plans, and bowel incontinence nursing care plans, among others.

Understanding the essentials of critical care nursing and the whole critical care nursing concept can be overwhelming for students or critical care nursing beginners. As the population increases, more time and dedication are expected from critical care nurses. Taking care of the needs of critically ill patients in intensive care units can be overwhelming for nurses. The pressure that comes with working in the critical care nursing department can lead to mental disorders or physical illnesses.

Do you Need Help in Completing Your critical care nursing Assignments?

Many students have approached us to help them write essays on delicate subjects such as acute critical care nursing. Our experts have never disappointed. Our customer support staff are also available 24 hours and are ready to assist you in every way possible. We have remained popular among nursing students because of our affordable services. Occasionally, we offer discounts and give free samples to our clients. All you need to do is engage with us, and we shall custom-make a quality critical care
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Unit 2: Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Cardiovascular Pharmacology

Welcome to Unit 2 of Advanced Pharmacology

Drugs affecting the cardiovascular system is the focus of this week, but we cannot talk about cardiovascular medications without also including the renal system. The two systems are related physiologically, which is why they are covered in tandem.

Your heart is the center of your circulatory system. To fully comprehend the drugs affecting these systems, you will need to apply the pathophysiology you learned in your prior course. Understanding cardiac functional, electrical stimulation, cardiac potential, and mechanisms to maintain blood pressure are critical. All of these mechanisms play in to the healthy function of the heart and when malfunctioning can lead to hypertension and even heart failure.

You will also need to be knowledgeable in homeostasis as an underlying principle to rational drug selection. The Renin-angiotensin system is of high importance in the regulation of homeostasis. Using your pathophysiology knowledge of the renal system and fluid volume will help to guide rational drug selection in addition to the topics in previous weeks of this course.

Unit Learning Objectives:

Examine the principles of pathophysiology and therapeutics that direct the pharmacotherapeutic interventions affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems (CLO 1)

Analyze the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic actions of agents affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems (CLO 2)

Apply critical-thinking processes to the management and evaluation of expected effects, potential adverse effects, and potential interactions of pharmacological agents affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems (CLO 3)

Apply critical-thinking processes to the management and evaluation of expected effects, potential adverse effects, and potential interactions of pharmacological agents affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems (CLO 1,2,3)

Evaluate the impact of pharmacogenomics, access, cost, quality, and safety on prescribing for Drugs Affecting the cardiovascular and renal systems (CLO 4)

Unit 2  “To Do” List

Shadow Health: Antihypertensive Concept Lab due 
Sunday Week 3

High-Yield Med Review Cardiovascular Quiz due 
Sunday Week 3

Learning Materials

Learning Materials

Lectures & E-Book

Busti, A. J. (2022). 
NP Curriculum Support-Advanced Pharmacology for NPs. 
MedEducation, LLC.

CARDIOVASCULAR PHARMACOLOGY

ACEi and ARBs

Aldosterone Antagonists

Alpha 1 Blockers

Alpha 2 Agonists

Beta Blockers

Calcium Channel Blockers

Thiazide Diuretics

Loop Diuretics

Antiarrhythmics Parts 1 & 2

Unit 3 Optional Learning Resources:

Media

Speed Pharmacology. (2017, January 9). 
Pharmacology – antiarrhythmic drugs (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Speed Pharmacology. (2017, March 21). 
Pharmacology – hypertension & antihypertensives (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Speed Pharmacology. (2017, May 16). 
Pharmacology – drugs for hyperlipidemia (made easy)
 [Video]. YouTube. 

Websites

Khan Academy. (2018h). 
Circulatory system diseases
. Retrieved from 
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/health-and-medicine/circulatory-system-diseases

Flack, J. M. & Adekola, B. (2020). 
Blood pressure and the new ACC/AHA hypertension guidelines. 
Retrieved from 
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1050173819300684

Shadow Health: Concept Lab – Antihypertensive

The purpose of this Shadow Health Concept Lab assignment is to help you achieve the following 
Course Learning Outcomes 1-5.

Assignment:

This week you will participate in a Shadow Health Concept Lab pertaining to antihypertensives.This will allow you to learn about pharmacological concepts related to commonly administered antihypertensive drugs. This module should take approximately 30 minutes to complete.

What to Submit:

Upon completion of the assignment:

Submit your completion certificate

Submit your reflection response to the questions below

Reflection Response Instructions: 
Submit a 1 page reflection response to the questions below. Please use APA format and include one scholarly reference.

What resources/guidelines will you use to help identify, diagnose, and treat high blood pressure? Give brief overview of how this will apply to your NP practice. 

Shadow Health Technical Support

If at any time you have any questions or encounter any technical issues regarding the Digital Clinical Experience, please contact the Shadow Health support specialists by visiting the Learner Support Page at  
http://support.shadowhealth.com
 for contact information and hours. You may email the Learner Support team directly at  
support@shadowhealth.com
 at any time or by calling 800.860.3241.

HYMR Quiz: Cardiovascular

Following review of all assigned lectures and correlating E-book chapters in High Yield Med Review, you will complete the module quiz in the HYMR platform.

From the Dashboard select “EXAMS”

Navigate to the 
“Cardiology-Self Assessment” 

Click “Take Exam”

You will have 
one 
attempt to complete 10 questions in 15 minutes. Once completed, please take a screen shot of your score and upload to this assignment tab for grading. This quiz is worth 20 points, so based on your % score you will receive the correlating points below.

100%

20 points

90%

18 points

80%

16 points

70%

14 points

60%

12 points

50%

10 points

40%

8 points

30%

6 points

20%

4 points

10%

2 points

No submission

0 points

*Please note, faculty are able to view your time and activity in HYMR.*

Conclusion

Conclusion

As we wrap up week three of Advanced Pharmacology, the importance of the effective management of the cardiovascular and renal systems is directly connected to pathophysiology and maintaining homeostasis. Understanding homeostasis as an underlying principle to rational drug selection will continue to be critical. Understanding your pathophysiology knowledge will help to guide rational drug selection in all topics in this course.

Next week, we continue our systems focus, and explore more cardiovascular and hematologic pharmacology.

When it comes to health and safety, healthcare policy is a crucial component of the healthcare system in the United States. Access, affordability, delivery methods, and privacy are all fundamental healthcare aspects that policy affects. Policymakers at all levels of government have a hand in this process by establishing guidelines and regulations.

As a prospective nurse, it’s in your best interest to understand healthcare policy issues in the United States, how it operates, and why it’s vital. For health administrators, on the other hand, learning about and contributing to health policy will assist your organization in achieving its goals. Here is how to get started in the health advocacy and policymaking fields.
What is Healthcare Policy in Nursing:

What is healthcare policy in nursing?

Healthcare policies are the guiding principles and procedures that decide who can receive treatment and how much it will cost. Insurance, financial responsibility, and access to care are some factors addressed by national healthcare policies. International health, mental health, healthcare services, insurance, and medicines, public health, are all subsets of healthcare policy issues

The importance of health care policy

Healthcare policy is crucial because it sets standards that improve outcomes for the entire healthcare system, individuals, and healthcare providers. When the healthcare policy and legislation protocols are in place, you can avoid a lack of clear communication and human errors.

A healthcare policy helps reduce risk by ensuring facilities adhere to directing personnel with best practices in securing critical data and care delivery, preventing unnecessary lawsuits, and safeguarding employees from damage.

By ensuring compliance with federal, state, and local rules and regulations and stringent accreditation standards, nurses and healthcare policy help ensure that healthcare institutions operate ethically and legally. And they enhance internal communication by providing employees with the data they need to conduct their jobs effectively, leading to streamlined operations and better patient care.

Healthcare policies

To be able to maintain quality care for patients, organizations must set policies and procedures in healthcare to address the following aspects of their operations.

Bring Your Own Device

A bring-your-own-device (BYOD) policy is a standard policy in the healthcare industry, and it can be pretty easy to implement. Your BYOD policy need not be highly comprehensive, but it should address the primary concerns that could compromise the safety of your workplace.

There is a smartphone in every hand these days. While convenient, personal electronic devices have their own concerns, mainly when used to gain access to confidential company data. This doesn’t have to be limited to patient information; it might also refer to internal company emails, communications, and records.

Workplace health and safety policies

Your healthcare policy, which naturally centers on your patients, should also extend to your employees, who are your most valuable resource. Workers’ health and safety on the job should be a top priority for any healthcare organization because they are the facility’s most valuable resource. This is especially true given the increased dangers to health faced by those working in the healthcare sector.

Beyond that, you shouldn’t ignore your employees’ health in general. Breastfeeding, stress at work, weight loss, and healthy eating in the workplace are just some of the healthcare policy issues your company’s wellness department should address. All of these factors contribute to maintaining a healthy workforce, which is consistently shown to be more productive.

Patient care policies

Whether your organization is a large hospital serving multiple states, a regional rehabilitation center, or a local podiatry office, it is vital to have policies that govern patient care. Areas you can cover in your facility’s policies include the procedures you offer, the illnesses and injuries you treat, when to transfer them, and when to refer patients to other facilities. You should also address particular medical situations, such as an emergency or contact with bodily fluids, in detail in your patient care policies.

No matter the size or focus of your organization, the first step in developing patient care policies is to ask yourself some fundamental questions. Medical protocols and workflow are outlined in patient care policies to help medical professionals make decisions in various settings. Of course, your organization’s policies should reflect the specific care it gives. Different treatment protocols necessitate unique approaches to patient care.

Social barriers

The health of underprivileged groups in the United States can be improved by addressing the underlying socioeconomic factors contributing to their deteriorating living situations. The goal of some public health clinics and non-profits is to go beyond meeting patients’ basic medical needs by also addressing their overall health and well-being.

Low-cost housing, healthy food, reliable child care, quality education, reliable transportation, and so on all fall under this umbrella. Maintaining a healthy population requires better health outcomes and lower costs for everyone.

Drug handling health policy

The drug handling policies address what to do if inventory is missing, medication was erroneously delivered or prescribed, or other drug-related problems occur. Which safeguards and procedures are you doing for drug handling? Most facilities do not include stock medications, while others stock only over-the-counter medications. Others stock highly controlled and regulated meds.

You need an apparent policy and procedures in healthcare on how you give medication, document and record it, and what to do when a problem occurs at work or inventory goes missing, regardless of where you lie on the spectrum. Whether the medication is over-the-counter, regulated, or non-controlled, drug policies establish protocols for the handling and administering of medications. This may include protocols for recording, handling, and administering each medication.

Information security policy

Security is becoming an enormously critical problem for all sizes of healthcare facilities. How will smaller firms without a dedicated security team handle suspicious individuals or situations? When and to whom do they sound an alert?

Security rules define in detail how personnel should respond to events that represent a danger to the security of their facility. This can involve scenarios such as active shooters, medical staff abuse, theft, the abduction or elopement of patients, etc. When a facility has security procedures, all personnel must be aware of and comply with them.

Whether or not your institution employs a security team, your health-related policies should make it apparent that security, like compliance, is everyone’s duty. You must provide staff at all levels with the proper information and processes to enable them to address any potential security-related incidents.

In addition to physical security, regulations and procedures regarding data privacy and technological security are crucial for any healthcare facility. The HIPAA Privacy Rule prohibits the dissemination of patient information to the general public while authorizing the communication of this information between health personnel and in certain other circumstances. The stronger the integration of technology into the operations of healthcare facilities, the greater the likelihood of information leakage and privacy breaches.

Social media policies

Attractive as they may be, social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram can present complex problems when it comes to medical care. What kind of content is acceptable for employees to share in the workplace? What about when they’re not on shift but still discussing events that occurred in your workplace?

There is a delicate balance between the institution’s needs, the patient’s privacy, and the personnel’s rights under the First Amendment. That’s why having a healthcare policy in writing that sets out what employees are and aren’t authorized to do is vital.

Access, usage of official accounts, security standards, disclaimers, and interaction, online behavior are all essential topics that should be addressed in a healthcare organization’s social media policy. Outlining these nurses and healthcare policy specifics can aid your institution in avoiding embarrassing mishaps like an employee tweeting objectionable content from the official hospital account or a member of staff leaking sensitive information online.

Administrative and HR policies

Administrative and human resources policies are another type of healthcare policy example. From a managerial and staffing standpoint, these address all relevant concerns. Even though hospitals and clinics are in the business of helping people get better, it’s crucial to keep in mind that they are also businesses.

Staff wellness is essential for a successful institution because it ensures that workers can provide safe patient care without compromising their health. These policies should also address health-related administrative concerns, such as patient visitation and bed capacity.

These seemingly little standards and procedures can help administrative personnel streamline many inquiries and concerns, allowing them to handle the operational side of things more smoothly. Rules prohibiting the use of tobacco and alcohol on the job, chemical exposure, mandatory protective gear like face masks and gloves to prevent the spread of disease, nutritional incentives, and wellness initiatives like paid time off are all part of policies with dual goals of protecting and promoting employee health.

Medical expenses

Many people find that their share of the bill for medical care is still prohibitively costly, even with health insurance. Now, more than ever, policymakers must find a cost-effective solution for the people of the United States in the face of the
COVID-19 outbreak
.

The US healthcare policy explores ways to reduce expenditures in this area without lowering standards of care to address these inflated rates. Possible alternatives include allowing governments to set price controls for healthcare or dramatically lowering the cost of prescription drugs. There is also the possibility of introducing publicly administered insurance plans that offer lower premiums than their commercial counterparts.

With the public option, people who can’t afford private health care wouldn’t have to go without coverage. And private insurers might feel compelled to reduce their prices if they had to compete with the public option.

Infectious disease policy

An infectious disease policy aims to outline the significance of disease control and the means to prevent an outbreak. Regarding workplace infections, SHRM states, “Employers are legally liable for both workers and nonemployees.”

Workers in the healthcare industry are more likely to come into touch with infectious diseases than employees in other fields. An infectious disease policy ensures that your staff is well-informed and follows all applicable protocols. This helps stop the spread of illness, safeguards healthcare personnel, and reduces the risk of legal action against your business.

Nurses and healthcare policy

It is crucial to have nurse practitioners involved in shaping health policy. In particular, nurse practitioners have the power to affect healthcare systems and organizations to improve patient health. Since nurse practitioners are frequently found at the front lines of treatment, it falls on them to translate broad healthcare policy issues in the United States into more personal encounters with patients.

Because they spend so much time directly with patients, nurse practitioners have unique insights essential for crafting health policy. Because of this, nurse practitioners are typically in tune with what works and what doesn’t. They can inform policymakers about the healthcare system’s triumphs and shortcomings.

Leaders in the
nursing career
play a crucial role in disseminating information about healthcare policy and legislation to their subordinates and holding them to the standards set out by the organization.

Increasing knowledge about healthcare policy issues

Depending on the area of medicine they specialize in as a nurse practitioner, nurses can have varying degrees of influence on health policy. Take a look at these instances:

An adult-gerontology primary care nurse practitioner might know more about illness prevention and wellness promotion in the elderly because of their extensive experience with this population.

A nurse practitioner with expertise in psychiatric
mental health
can provide insight into how healthcare policy issues in the United States affect patients’ emotional well-being. Since they treat people of all ages, family nurse practitioners may have unique insights into how a health policy might help people from all walks of life get the treatment they need. Nurse practitioners must have a solid education to execute health policy and advocate for good changes.

Final word

A healthcare public policy is crucial for the preferred delivery of healthcare services. Most importantly, nurses are at the forefront of implementing healthcare policies and procedures

even though they do not take part in their formulation. The best way forward is to involve all the task holders in formulating each health policy in the United States.

Each stakeholder should understand a health policy and healthcare policy issues and provide a healthcare program policy evaluation analysis template. With the dynamic technological change, health practitioners should be aware of all the yearly healthcare policy changes.