Infection Control, Essay Example

The components that should be included in a medication order are the patient’s name, the date of the medication order, the required dosage, the drug’s route of administration and associated requirements that should be followed, the time and frequency that the medication should be given, and the signature of the physician who is ordering the medication.

Health Promotion and Maintenance

Lactation and pregnancy risk categories include categories A though D and category X. In category A, well-controlled studies have not demonstrated a risk to the fetus during the first trimester. In category B, animal studies have failed to show risk to the fetus. In category C, animal studies have shown an adverse risk on the fetus and there are no equivalent studies in humans. In category D, human studies have shown that a drug can pose risk to the fetus but its potential benefits may outweigh the harms. In category X, a drug has high risk for adverse effects and the harmful effects outweigh the potential positive.

Physiological Adaptation

Lanoxin is typically used to treat congestive heart failure and is an ACE inhibitor. As a consequence, the nurse should identify whether the contraindications of the drug would negatively impact the patient’s health. For example, it should not be administered to patients with ventricular fibrillation or with a known hypersensitivity to digoxin.

Clients prescribed heparin to maintain therapeutic drug levels are monitored according to their Partial thromboplastin time (PTT). Patient’s taking warfarin typically have their international normalized ratio (INR) tracked to determine the risk of blood clotting.

Isoniazid use typically results in vitamin B6 depletion so it is important for patients on this drug to be receiving this vitamin from an external source. Urine tests are typically utilized to measure the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of the drug to determine whether the drug is acting and the patient is responding normally and at safe levels.

Drug holidays can occasionally be beneficial to patients with Parkinson’s disease due to enhanced motor function. While studies have shown that drug holidays are beneficial, there is a worry that the lack of dopamine treatments could cause irreversible damage in this neurotransmitter’s receptor to respond to future treatment. There is also worry that motor function restoration may only be temporary and that more harm may be done than good for this temporary fix.

Somatropin is a growth hormone that is provided to patients with growth hormone deficiencies and growth disorders.

Ciprofloxacin treats anthrax and infections after exposure. It is a fluoroquinione. The drug’s mechanism of action works through the inhibition of DNA gyrase, thereby inhibiting cell division. There are several precautions that nurses should take when providing this drug to their patients. This includes observation to detect potential tendinopathy and tendon rupture in addition to several other serious and potentially fatal side effects.

Active immunization is the application of a treatment before an individual contracts a disease in order to prevent it from happening. Passive immunization is the immunity that an individual acquires from becoming sick from an illness and successfully fighting it off. In both cases, the patient will be unable to get the same form of the illness after either form of immunization.

Prednisone has a broad range of side effects including aggression, anxiety, irritability, depression, swelling of the limbs, and weight gain. To avoid these effects, prednisone should only be prescribed and used if it is essential for health. If it must be taken, it would be best to prescribe the lowest dose possible for a particular case.

Different diuretics have different mechanisms of action. Loop diuretics inhibit the Na-K-2Cl symporter, osmotic diuretics promote osmotic diuresis, and potassium sparing diuretics either inhibit the Na+/K+ exchanger, inhibit aldosterone action, or inhibits epithelial sodium channels. For all three methods, patients should be warned that they will have to urinate frequently and should remain near a bathroom.

Since Estrace is an application of the estrogen hormone, it should not be used by individuals with abnormal genital bleeding, history of breast cancer, estrogen-dependent neoplasis, heart issues, history of stroke, and liver dysfunction.

Torodol would be prescribed at the same time as narcotics in a post op client because it is an anti-inflammatory drug that attempts to reduce the physiological cause of pain rather than a reduction of its sensation.

Imitrex should be avoided when individuals are at high risk for heart disease or stroke.

The nurse should educate the patient that symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and constipation or diarrhea could occur and to contact the nurse if this is a problem. Furthermore, she will educate the client that all new drugs that are prescribed must not require acid for adequate absorption because these two drugs will not work at the same time.

Physiological Adaptation and Reduction of Risk Potential

Hyponatremia related to low serum sodium occurs at < 130 mEq/L. Low specific gravity is expected as well, but this is not a marker of dehydration so shouldn’t be relied on as a test for this health state.

Hypertonic saline solution would be ideal to treat a client with too much sodium in the blood and low total body water.

Diabetes insipidus is a condition in which the kidneys are not able to conserve water. Therefore the sodium level in the body increases while the total body water decreases. The treatment of DI depends on whether the patient is experiencing central DI or nephrogenic DI. Desmopressin treats central DI and reduces urine production. Hydrochlorothiazide treats nephrogenic DI by encouraging the proximal tubule to facilitate water uptake.

The abnormal lab values associated with Diabetes mellitus includes an assessment of A1C, Cushing’s disease examines glucocorticoid production, Addison’s disease requires an ACTH test, and hypothyroidism includes assessment of T4 and TSH.

Renal failure typically results in metabolic acidosis due to the buildup of acidic components in the kidney.

Patient education for clients following hemodialysis should begin approximately one month before treatment. This includes an explanation of the process of insertion, the location of the treatment, and the side effects, which include low blood pressure, shortness of breath, cramps, nausea, and vomiting.

The symptoms of appendicitis include dull pain near the navel in the upper or lower abdomen, loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting, high temperature, gassiness or inability to pass gas, and painful urination.

To prevent further complications, clients with newly diagnosed with liver cirrhosis should avoid the consumption of alcoholic beverages and take the medication that is prescribed to them.

The Parkland formula indicates that the fluid that is required in the first 24 hours is equal to 4 times the person’s weight in kilograms times the percent body surface area burned. In the situation discussed, this would require 8,640 mL of fluid in the first 24 hours. To determine the amount of fluid that this same individual would require in the first 8 hours, a proportion could be set up to determine this fraction, or the number of fluid needed in 24 hours could simply be divided by 3 because 8 hours is one-third of a day. Therefore, this patient would require 2,880 mL of fluid during the first 8 hours. To determine how much is needed per hour for the first 8 hours, 2,880 mL should be divided by 8, which indicates that 360 mL is needed each hour for the first 8 hours.

If the nurse notices that a client’s surgical would surgical wound suddenly eviscerates, it should be reported to a physician so the patient could be readied for surgery. During this time, the nurse should reassure the patient that everything will be okay and do whatever possible to make the client feel comfortable.

There are many heart attack warning signs that can be used to ensure survival. Occasionally there are no symptoms, but the most common is chest pain. Chest pain could be felt several hours before the onset of the heart attack, so it is essential to seek medical help during this phase. As the situation worsens, shortness of breath, dizziness, faintness, or nausea can also be experienced. Another symptom is angina, which helps differentiate between heart burn and heart attack. At this point, the patient should seek emergency care immediately.