Assisting Patient with Oral Care

Adequate oral hygiene care is imperative to promote the patient’s sense of well-being and prevent deterioration of the oral cavity. Poor oral hygiene is reported to lead to the colonization of the oropharyngeal secretions by respiratory pathogens. Diligent oral hygiene care can improve oral health and limit the growth of pathogens in the oropharyngeal secretions, decreasing the incidence of aspiration pneumonia and other systemic diseases (Yoon & Steele, 2007; American Association of Critical-Care Nurses [AACN], 2006). The mouth requires care even during illness, but sometimes care must be modified to meet a patient’s needs. If the patient can assist with mouth care, provide the necessary materials. Oral care is important not only to prevent dental caries but also to improve the patient’s self-image. Oral care should be done at least twice a day for ambulatory patients.

NCP: Ineffective Airway Clearance

Nursing Assessment

Johti Singh is a 39-year-old secretary who was admitted to  the hospital with an elevated temperature, fatigue, rapid, labored respirations; and mild dehydration. The nursing history reveals that Ms. Singh has had a “bad cold” for several weeks that just wouldn’t go away. She has been dieting for several months and skipping meals. Ms. Singh mentions that in addition to her full-time job as a secretary she is attending college classes two evenings a week. She has smoked one package of cigarettes per day since she was 18 years old. Chest x-ray confirms pneumonia.

6 Surprising Health Benefits of Honey

Honey is one of the oldest sweeteners on earth. It is used to sweeten tea and other delicious foods. But actually, it offers more than just flavor. Many Researches show that honey provides a variety of health benefits as well. Here are the top 6 benefits of honey: 

  1. Fight against acid reflux

Research published in the British Medical Journal found that honey may be an effective way to prevent acid reflux by coating the esophagus.  Researchers determined honey is 125.9 times more viscous than distilled water, and forms a much better coating, which can help reduce heartburn.

Learning Theories in Nursing

Learning theories refers to theoretical frameworks which try to explain how people and animals learn, thereby helping us understand the inherently complex process of learning. Learning refers to “a persisting change in human performance or performance potential brought about   as a result of the learner’s interaction with the   environment”. There are three main categories of learning theories: behaviorism, cognitivism, and humanism.

Preload and Afterload of Heart

It is true that the basic function of heart is to pump blood and supply oxygenated blood to body tissues, but in reality, the heart is a complex body organ and so many factors determine how much blood is pumped through the body. Preload and afterload are two determinants of how much blood the heart pumps in a minute (cardiac output).

What is cardiac output?

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute is its cardiac output. It is measured in mL blood/min. Cardiac output refers to the function of stroke volume and heart rate. The heart rate refers

to the number of times your heart beats in a minute. The stroke volume refers to how much blood get pumped out of heart with each beat. Cardiac output will increase if stroke volume or heart rate increases.

Monitoring Temperature Using an Overhead Radiant Warmer

Neonates, infants who are exposed to stressors or chilling (e.g., from undergoing numerous procedures), and infants who have an underlying condition that interferes with thermoregulation (e.g., prematurity) are highly susceptible to heat loss. Therefore, radiant warmers are used for infants who have trouble maintaining body temperature. In addition, use of a radiant warmer minimizes the oxygen and calories that the infant would expend to maintain body temperature, thereby minimizing the effects of body temperature changes on metabolic activity.

An overhead radiant warmer warms the air to provide a neutral thermal environment, one that is neither too warm nor too cool for the patient. The incubator temperature is adjusted to maintain an anterior abdominal skin temperature of 36.5°C (97.7°F), but at least 36°C (96.8°F), using Servocontrol (automatic thermostat) (Sinclair, 2002).

Roles and Functions of the Nurse

Ms Phina TOUCH, NICU nurse/Cambodia;

Nurses assume a number of roles when they provide care to clients. Nurses often carry out these roles concurrently, not exclusively of one another. For example, nurse may act as a counselor while providing physical care and teaching aspects of that care. The roles required at a specific time depend on the needs of the client and aspects of the particular environment. 
The following are the roles and functions of nurse:

Caregiver

The caregiver role has traditionally included those activities that assist the client physically and psychologically while preserving the clients’ dignity. The required nursing actions may involve full care for the completely dependent client, partial care the partially dependent client, and supportive-educative care to assist clients attaining their highest possible level of health and wellness. Caregiving encompasses the physical, psychological, developmental, cultural, and spiritual levels. The nursing process provides nurses with a framework for providing care. A nurse may provide care directly or delegate it to other caregivers.