Chapter 8 Case Study
Scenario: An elderly woman showed symptoms of near syncope and was admitted via ambulance to a small community hospital. She experienced an inability to move on her own and almost lost consciousness while watching her grandson play basketball. Her symptoms occurred during a visit to her daughter’s home, which is approximately 150 miles from Liza’s home. When Liza was admitted to the hospital, her daughter explained the numerous types and dosages of medications her mother was taking. She also mentioned that Liza had not been taking her Coumadin as directed by her physician for the past week or so. Liza was admitted to the intensive care unit for evaluation. Over the course of hospitalization, Liza’s condition worsened. Approximately 18 hours after her admission, the nursing staff began performing nervous system checks on Liza and contacted the physician-on-call to obtain an order for a CT scan. The scan showed evidence of a cerebral infarction. Appropriate treatment for the infarction then was provided.
1) How might the student monitor the processes she has experienced? What types of data would be useful? Describe variations and possible causes of variations in the care processes?
The student should monitor her living conditions and her ability to remember to take her medications on time. Her case history and number of pills dispensed and taken to see if she is compliant or not. This patient should be living in a monitored area like a nursing home or she should have home health aide.
The four core processes of patient care are:
1 - Assessing the patient's needs-
2 – Planning care, treatment, and services-
3 - Providing care, treatment, and services
4 - Coordinating care, treatment, and services
Initial assessment determines the patient's appropriateness for admission to the facility and the level of care to be rendered. This also