...Heart failure or Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to pump blood the way it should. It can affect one or both sides of the heart ("Congestive Heart Failure | Heart Failure | CHF | MedlinePlus," 2017). Heart failure is a collection of signs and symptoms reflecting a physiologic change in the hearts ability to keep up with demand. Heart failure is considered a global pandemic and is a complex disease that oftentimes is progressive. Heart failure is often associated with underlying coronary atherosclerosis, and its associated risks, including...
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...Introduction The heart is like an engine, pumping blood throughout the body. Over time, when this pump cannot distribute enough blood throughout the body to meet its needs, it develops into a condition known as congestive heart failure. When the right side of the heart fails, the lungs cannot pick up oxygen due to the heart’s inability to pump enough blood to them. In contrast, left sided heart failure is related to the heart’s inability to pump an adequate amount of oxygen-rich blood throughout the body. Only one side of the heart may be affected, although it is possible for both sides of the heart to be involved at the same time. Description of the Condition According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute (NHLBI), 5.7 million...
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...what to ask, what to observe, what to focus on and what to think about. They provide a framework to develop new and validate current knowledge. Researchers use nursing theories to define commonalities of the variables in a stated field of inquiry, guide nursing research and actions, predict practice outcomes, and predict client response. Analysis of the Congruence and Theoretical Statements Henderson define nursing as helping people, sick or well, in the performance of those activities contributing to health and its recovery that they would perform unaided if they had the necessary strength, will or knowledge (Fitzpatrick & Whall, 2005). It is the function of nurses to help people become independent as rapidly as possible. She saw how nursing could focus on the patient and on developing a good nurse-patient relationship. She believed that the patient-focused nursing was the most beneficial kind of nursing. Henderson emphasized the use of nursing care plan. To develop effective care plan, collection of necessary information is important. She developed the 14 Basic Needs in her Theory (Fitzpatrick & Whall, 2005) as basis of individualized nursing care plan. The emphasis on the patient individual needs comes from Henderson’s link between the patient and nurse. Henderson’s theory fits in the interactive model because it focuses on the relationship between the nurse and the patients. In this case study, the authors will use Henderson’s 14 Basic Needs to develop Mr...
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...Congestive Heart Failure Armi Gonzales Western Governors University Congestive Heart Failure A. Investigated Disease Process Congestive Heart Failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump a sufficient amount of blood for the body to function. If the heart’s ability to pump blood decreases, blood and fluids may start to pool into the lungs and accumulate in the legs, ankles, and feet causing an edema, shortness of breath, and fatigue. (Heart Failure, 2015, para. 2) The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology defines heart failure as “a complex clinical syndrome that can result from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the ventricles to fill with or eject blood” (King, Kingery, & Casey, 2012, p. 1). Heart failure can be seen as a widespread disease, affecting around five million Americans. (Titler et al. n.d.) It is a chronic condition that is disabling and costly and common to our aging population. With the advancement in therapy and early diagnosis, survival increases from previously fatal acute cardiac events to patients feeling better and living longer. Millions of Americans living with heart failure are 65 years of age or older. (Roger et al, 2004) A1. Pathophysiology The Circulatory system focuses on the heart, a muscular organ that pumps blood through a complex network of blood vessels throughout the body. Blood that is pumped from the heart carries oxygen and nutrients that fuel...
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...Vulnerable Population in the Workplace Back in 1999 the U.S. Health Department set a goal to, “eliminate disparities in health and in access to service for minorities,” for Healthy People 2010 (Crist, 2002). 2010 has come and gone, and although there have been improvements that goal continues to be in place for Healthy People 2020. Some vulnerable populations are still at risk and face many barriers preventing them access to proper healthcare. Attempting to overcome these barriers will often fall on the shoulders of healthcare providers; it becomes their job to help decrease the overall health disparity suffered by vulnerable populations. In this paper the subject to discuss is the vulnerable Mexican American population and will evaluate barriers faced by them as well as barriers faced by healthcare workers, and the methods that could be used in order to help decrease current health disparities. Mexican-Americans: A Population at Risk Mexican-Americans, especially aging Mexican-Americans are an extremely vulnerable population. Currently, Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic population in the United States and as of the 2003 U.S. Census, their population, “grew at a rate almost fourfold that of the general population—13% vs. 3.3%--over a 39 month period” (Keating, et al. 2009). That being said, non-English-speaking immigrants are often socially and economically disadvantaged, which impacts health disparities (Keating, et al. 2009). Barriers to Care There are many...
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...system advancements have been made to prolong life expectancies and a person’s quality of life. As everyone knows the cost of providing health care is expensive and not always easy to accomplish. The cost, accessibility, along with the quality of care is a challenge that the health care system faces in order to provide people with needed health care. Education of disease trends and keeping the public informed have been a very good impact on today’s society. With the help of organizations such as the World Health Organization and the Center for Disease Control, who have been strategic in providing information to each other and the nation about potential life threatening disease that can and could affect the world’s population; along with how to prevent disease from spreading among communities that where a person lives. Even though there are some diseases, which are preventable today, and there are new diseases popping up all the time, and it is not impossible to find cures for them right away. There will always be a chance of catching a form of disease or illness within a person’s lifetime; also there are many factors, which can affect the health delivery systems in many forms. The middle age adults of the world’s population are increasing; the reason for this is because of a decline in fertility, along with a 20-year increase in the average life span during the second half of the 20th century. These factors, combined with elevated fertility in many countries during the second...
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...sudden onset of severe shortness of breath. Felt as though she wasn’t moving any air. Patient called 911. The paramedics on scene established IV access and medicated patient with 40 of furosemide and Nitroglycerin sublingual 0.4 mg times 3 doses. Patient was placed on CPAP and brought to the ER. Upon arrival CPAP was continued, a nitroglycerin infusion was started at 20mcg/min. Additional IV access was established and labs were obtained. Stat EKG and Chest Xray were completed. Additional dose of furosemide 80mg was administered IV push and patient was provided with an indwelling foley catheter which is draining clear yellow urine. Past Medical History is significant for Hypertension, Diabetes, Congestive Heart failure, and Atrial Fibrillation with two unsuccessful cardioversions. Medications: Patient currently taking Furosemide, Lisinopril, Digoxin, Metformin, and Glyburide. Patient unable to recall dosages. Past Surgical History is significant for cesarian sections x 3 and ORIF of left hip 8 years ago. Social History: Patient is a 1 pack per day smoker x 40 years. Consumes alcohol on a social basis. Denies using any illicit drugs. Patient is a retired secretary. Patient lives in the community and attends church regularly....
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...transportation requirements since patients residing in rural areas may be susceptible to delayed treatment for chronic illnesses leading to complications. Readmissions are costly and often wasteful to both the facility and the patient. Care that is not optimally suited for managing chronic health conditions, directly affect these readmissions. The growing awareness a patient has for the need to be more active and effective managers of their health and involved in their health care. The key to improving patient literacy and activation is to increase the patient’s knowledge, skill and confidence in managing their...
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...The Health Belief Model (HBM) is used to explore health behavior of the client. It helps to understand the client’s readiness to change, the client’s perception toward needing to change and the client’s perceived benefits to the health change. This model helps the nurse to choose education strategies for the client as well (Edelman & Mandle, 2010,). Nurses have always been the front educators for their client. The nurse can develop a plan based on client’s knowledge, readiness and patients understanding of how changes can affect his/her recovery. Meeting the goal of the client will depend on the client’s responsiveness to teaching. Since I work on cardiac /renal unit, we take care of patients with Congestive heart failures and Renal failures. Education on low salt diet is something that happens on daily basis. We provide education booklets and dietary leaflets to the patients in addition to educating them personally. We encourage our clients to use salt substitutes instead of real salt or season their food with herbs, spices, herbed vinegar etc. We encourage our patients to read the labels for sodium content. We further educate our patients about the significance of these changes and reiterate that making small changes to their diet can make a huge difference in living a healthier life. Educating patients to lead healthier lives is not only rewarding to the patient but also to the nurses as well because it brings a sense of satisfaction when patients understand the benefit and...
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...Article One The study conducted by Blegen et al. is to examine how registered nurse (RN) education can affect nursing-sensitive patient outcomes while simultaneously controlling variables, such as hospital and patient characteristics as well as nurse staffing levels, that could affect the results (2013). This experiment is a cross-sectional study, in which data sets made by the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) were used. Twenty-one UHC-member teaching hospitals were included in the sample. The results showed that in hospitals where RNs with baccalaureate degree are prevalent, better outcomes resulted, in which there were lower rates of decubitus ulcers, congestive heart failure mortality, failure to rescue, postoperative deep vein...
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...Outcomes Measurement and Data Management Project: Hospital Readmissions Charmein Garner and Celeste Thomas Loyola University New Orleans Outcomes Management Project Defined Issue or Problem of Interest The selected problem of interest is hospital readmissions after being discharged from hospitals/medical facilities. Several patients enter the hospital and soon after discharge are catapulted back into the seemingly revolving doors of the hospital. Readmission rates affect all areas of healthcare. Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) has targeted readmissions as a guideline of poor quality of care. Engaging patients during their inpatient admission as they transition to alternate levels of care may reduce readmission by 50% (Service, 2008). The intent of this proposed paper is to take a look at hospital readmissions rates in correlation with the patient being elderly and having a diagnosis of heart failure and assess what can be done to positively change these statistics, which increase the quality of care we as healthcare professionals provide to our patients. A Rationale for Selecting the Issue or Problem of Interest Hospital readmissions can occur throughout the patient’s transition through the healthcare system. Many times readmissions occur among those who are frail and have chronic conditions. Readmissions account for approximate 18% of Medicare patients, of this 13%, are suspected to be avoidable and are directly linked to poor quality. Quality is...
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...Epidemiology by definition is the study of the distribution and patterns of health-events, health- characteristics and their causes or influences in well-defined populations. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive medicine. Epidemiologists are involved in the design of studies, collection and statistical analysis of data, and interpretation and dissemination of results (including peer review and occasional systematic review).Major areas of epidemiological study include outbreak investigation, disease surveillance and biomonitoring, and comparisons of treatment effects such as in clinical trials. Epidemiologists rely on a number of other scientific disciplines such as biology (to better understand disease processes), biostatistics (to make efficient use of the data and draw appropriate conclusions), and exposure assessment and social science disciplines (to better understand proximate and distal risk factors, and their measurement). I would like to discuss elderly patients as my vulnerable population. There is no set age at which a person maybe under the care of a geriatric physician. The physician aims to promote health by preventing disease and disabilities in geriatric adults. A gerontologist specializes in the aging process. Adult medicine differs from the geriatric patient because the focus is on the elderly...
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...effect towards patient care. Education plays a vital role for nurses and other health care professionals to encompass their knowledge, skills and care to the patients. The discussion will be focused on the differences between an Associate degree nurse (ADN) and a Baccalaureate degree nurse (BSN). It will also explain a case scenario of which will demonstrate the differences in methods used in decision-making that may differentiate based on their educational preparation as an Associates and Bachelors degrees. Associate Degree Nursing A nurse who obtains an Associates degree requires a two to three year nursing education of which is usually accomplished through a community college. This nursing program permits for a nurse who graduates to take the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), in which allows the nursing graduate to receive license to work as a registered nurse. The Associates degree in nursing was first founded in 1952, by Midlred Montag. This program was designed to prepare the nurse at a technical level in order to support the nursing shortage that was occurring during those years. This program was then designed for nurses to work in a community hospital or long-term health care facility. Baccalaureate Degree Nursing A Baccalaureate degree is obtained by attending a four to five year education program of which it might include two years of general education courses and three years in a nursing program. In this route of education, a graduate is qualified...
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...case study on a current patient with heart failure being nursed in a community setting. Due to confidentiality and patient privacy, the patient discussed will be referred to as John¹. John is an 82 year old gentleman who lives alone in sheltered accommodation. John’s son and daughter live close and take it in turns to visit daily. John is an ex-smoker who gave up 20 years ago, has long standing hypertension and is overweight having a BMI of 30 kg/m. John was diagnosed with heart failure a year ago after being hospitalised three times in the space of four months. Stewart (2004) feels that a diagnoses of heart failure is problematic in older patients as their symptoms can often mimic other diseases. According to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines (NICE) 2003, hospitalisation accounts² for 70% of the £716 million pounds spent on heart failure annually. In this assignment the physiology of the heart will be discussed and how heart failure affects its performance. John’s symptoms, medication and how his condition was diagnosed will be discussed³. John’s future care and how it will be managed along with who will be involved in his care4. NICE (2003) defines heart failure as a “complex syndrome” that results from any structural or functional cardiac disorder that impairs the ability of the heart to function as a pump to support a “physiological circulation”. Tendera5 (2005) states that heart failure is common in older adults and occurs...
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...Running head: Disease Trends Disease Trends Joliene Hughes University of Phoenix Disease Trends According to the “gathering and using data for value based Health Care utilization”, the older “baby boomers and the older generation gets” the better it is for the health care system because they are aging and therefore will need more health care services to provide them with the care they will need in the future. Health Care costs are very high and it is because of chronic conditions, such as, “diabetes”, “coronary artery disease”, “Heart Disease”, “Cancer”, “Stroke”, “HIV or Aids”, “congestive heart failure”, “depression and asthma”, and the growing population in the “increase of obesity” not to mention the “lifestyles” people are living (“Gathering and Using Data for value-based Health Care Initiatives,” 2012, pp. 33-34) “According to Claiborne and Vandendurgh (2001)”, The disease trends in the United States of America is affecting millions of Americans today because usually some people wait until they are very sick until they decide to get the treatment they need, and when they wait it becomes more cost effective and the costs are then higher than usual because they wait until and become sicker or their illness will cost more to treat them, such as “diabetes”, if a male or female thinks they might have diabetes instead of them going to his or her family doctor they decide the “Emergency Room” would be better, which is not better because it cost more money to see a patient...
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