Home Nursing Techniques; Signs & Symptoms of Illnesses & Diseases: Friday, February 15, 2013
1.
If you are a good home nurse, what are the various home nursing
techniques that you need to apply that will make the patient feel
comfortable and speed up the recovery?
2. Why should the home nurse monitor the vital signs of the patient?
Of course, because recording patient observations is an important part of nursing routine and an essential skill to be able to detect changes in the patient's condition. And nurses should also feel empowered and confident enough to be able to adapt their routine to reflect a patient's progression towards recovery.
3. How do you take the body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure of the patient?
4. What are some practices that the home nurse must follow that will promote comfort to the patient?
5. How will you differentiate signs from symptoms of illnesses and diseases?
6. If you are the doctor, what will be your basis in giving the diagnosis for your patient?
To make the patient feel comfortable, as what I have learned in our TLE subject, we should keep the patient's room clean and times for a relaxed atmosphere, proper hygiene should be observed at all times to avoid infection and to also ensure speedy recovery of the patient and assure the patient of full support and understanding by maintaining a cheerful disposition.
2. Why should the home nurse monitor the vital signs of the patient?
Of course, because recording patient observations is an important part of nursing routine and an essential skill to be able to detect changes in the patient's condition. And nurses should also feel empowered and confident enough to be able to adapt their routine to reflect a patient's progression towards recovery.
3. How do you take the body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate and blood pressure of the patient?
In taking the patient's body temperature, we use thermometer. Thermometer can be either placed in the patient's mouth, armpit or in rectum. But usually nurses place it in the armpit.
In taking the patient's pulse rate, We locate the pulse by using either of our two fingers except the thumb (because the thumb has its own pulse and we might count it by mistake), then we can feel it either at the wrist, neck, ankle, or at the temple. Afterwards, we count the beats for 1 minute.
In taking the patient's blood pressure, we measure it by using a sphygmomanometer with the stethoscope to hear the signals for the systolic and diastolic pressure.
4. What are some practices that the home nurse must follow that will promote comfort to the patient?
The home nurse should practice the basic principles, characteristics, and duties and responsibilities that a usual home nurse must apply.
5. How will you differentiate signs from symptoms of illnesses and diseases?
A symptom is subjective from the patient point of view. A symptom is what the patient experiences about the illness, injury or disease. Symptoms can only be experienced, they are not able to be observed or measured objectively. Pain is a symptom. I do not know you are having pain unless you tell me. Nausea is also a symptom, as are: chills, numbness, fatigue, vertigo, malaise, itching, stomach cramps, burning on urination, etc. Symptoms can be characterized by the patient to help the physician diagnose the problem with that added information to consider along with the observations, measurements, laboratory findings and other diagnostic test results that are the objective signs.
A sign is an objective physical manifestation of illness, injury or disease. It is an objective finding, something one can observe and measure. A rapid pulse, a high temperature, a low blood pressure, an open wound, bruising, etc. are all signs. Signs give a more definite indication of the presence of a particular disease to the physician. Signs may be described as the current 'showcase' that the doctor observes in the patient and in the diagnostic testing and measurements.
A sign is an objective physical manifestation of illness, injury or disease. It is an objective finding, something one can observe and measure. A rapid pulse, a high temperature, a low blood pressure, an open wound, bruising, etc. are all signs. Signs give a more definite indication of the presence of a particular disease to the physician. Signs may be described as the current 'showcase' that the doctor observes in the patient and in the diagnostic testing and measurements.
(c) http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_signs_and_symptoms
6. If you are the doctor, what will be your basis in giving the diagnosis for your patient?
If I had given the chance to be a doctor, my basis would be a good communication between me and the patient and tell her/his story so that I would we would understand each other especially his/her situation in having a disease/sickness
