Nursing: Art and Science Assuming increasing responsibilities Holistic Nurse is a key health care provider Integrate knowledge of the o Basic sciences o Social sciences o Education o Other disciplines Applying the nursing process
Nursing Process Assessment o Data gathering: history, physical assessment,wholistic Nursing Diagnosis o Drawing a conclusion from the assessment data that was gathered Planning/Implementation o Formulation of a plan of care that includes actions to improve or maintain the patient’s health Evaluations o Determining if the plan of care was effective at either maintaining or improving the patient’s health
Assessment History o Chronic Conditions o Drug Use o Allergies o Level of Education and Understanding o Social Supports o Financial Supports o Pattern of Past Health Care
Implementation Synthesizing information into nursing diagnoses to plan patient care Setting goals Desired patient outcomes o Effective response to drug therapy o Minimization of adverse effects o Understanding of the drug regimen
Comfort Measures Help the patient cope with the effects of drug therapy Nurse is in a unique position for this Patient more likely to be compliant
Prevention of Medication Errors “To Err is Human” Drug Regimen Process Series of Checks o Nurse’s Role o Patient’s Role Reporting of Medication Errors
Elements of Patient Teaching Name, dose, and action of drug Timing of administration Special storage and preparation instructions Specific OTC drugs or alternative therapies to avoid Special comfort or safety measures Specific points about drug toxicity Specific warnings about drug discontinuation
Question #1 What of the following needs to be included in a physician’s order for a patient so the nurse can use the “rights of safe administration” when administering medication? a. Patient’s weight b. Patient’s drug history c. Patient’s name d. Patient’s address
Rationale: The physician’s order for a drug needs to include
information that allows the nurse to administer the medication according to the seven “rights” to ensure safe and effective drug administration. These are correct drug and patient, correct storage of drug, correct and most effective route, correct dosage, correct preparation, correct timing, and correct recording of administration.