During this assignment, the author will discuss the role of the nurse in the provision and management of care for a patient diagnosed with appendicitis. Making use of evidence-based practice and taking into account a holistic approach, the author will introduce and discuss a patient profile (see appendix 1) and develop care strategies based on specific and suitable interventions. Due to the specifics of this assignment, some relevant information will be in the appendix. Appendicitis is the inflammation of the appendix (Peate, 2020), leading to serious complications such as peritonitis, abscess formation or adhesions (Waugh & Grant, 2018). Normally located in the abdominal right lower quadrant, the appendix can become inflamed due to the accumulation …show more content…
Signs of nausea or vomiting are solid indicators of rupture or obstruction, likewise the nurse needs to document all the events and report to the medical team any concerns (Eta, et al., 2023). Maintaining good communication with the multidisciplinary team will make it easy to achieve high quality of care. The use of INEW charts as local PPGs, is extremely critical, this tool will assist the nurse and medical team to carefully monitor the first signs of deterioration (HSE, 2021). Increasing values of respiratory rate, heart beat, or decreasing values of blood pressure and SPO2 are solid indicators that Jane is declining, due to infection, rupture of the appendix or obstruction. The nurse also needs to attend to Jane’s psychological needs. A patient with appendicitis can endure a significant amount of pain, and in most cases end up undertaking surgery (Petroianu, 2012). Being able to comfort Jane, manage her and her family expectations is a great asset for a nurse (Ajibade, …show more content…
Post-operative Care. Surgery to treat appendicitis is simple and does not require complications (Becker, Fichtner-Feigl and Dieter, 2018). Although, the risk of infection is always present for any type of surgery, and this can be exacerbated by if the appendix has ruptured, or the infection has spread to the adjoining tissues (Korndorffer Jr, Fellinger and Reed, 2010). Access is normally done by laparoscopy incisions, however when in the presence of perforation or infection the surgeons may adopt to open surgery in order to have a better access to evaluate the surrounding structures (Di Saverio et al, 2020). A drain may be in situ, to help clear fluids from the peritoneal cavity, preventing infection or in extreme cases peritonitis (Jones, et al., 2023). Before collecting Jane from the theatre, the nurse needs to prepare the bedside, namely making sure that suction and oxygen sources are working, there is an IV line stand near, the area is clean, and the curtains are present to ensure privacy for the patient. At this time Jane will be transferred from theatre to the ward taking into consideration guidelines for safe handling of a patient (HSE,