Considering your assessment in this unit, identify at least 2 diagnoses and why you have identified them.
Locate and summarize at least 1 scholarly peer-reviewed article for each diagnosis. Each article should support your understanding of the diagnosis selected.
Also, locate and summarize at least 2 scholarly articles that address evidence-based practice when treating this patient with the identified diagnoses.
The 2 Nursing Diagnosis you will use our
*Patient at risk for falls R/T impaired physical mobility
*Acute pain R/T tissue trauma secondary to laceration on right foot as evidenced by patients\’ pain 7/10.
I already uploaded in a previous assignment Tina Jones Health history. She is a non-compliant diabetic with a right foot laceration from a fall off her step ladder.
Nursing Theory: Tina Jones
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliations
Nursing Theory: Tina Jones
Nurses learn new skills every day as they continue to interact with patients in their daily practice. Accurate identification of a patient’s diagnosis and the selection of therapeutic interventions to treat existing symptoms are key skills that nurses learn across all stages of skill acquisition (Benner et al., 2009). Nurses must ensure that the chosen diagnoses and therapeutic interventions are supported by research evidence. Tina Jones is a non-compliant diabetic with a right foot laceration from a fall off her step ladder. Her two primary diagnoses are increased risk for falls and acute pain. This assignment will summarize scholarly articles that support each of the two diagnoses and evidence-based interventions for their treatment.
Evidence That Supports Diagnoses
Patients with impaired physical mobility are usually at an increased risk of falling. One of the primary diagnoses for Tina Jones is an increased risk of falling. This diagnosis is supported by the information contained in Tina Jones’ health history indicating that she has impaired physical mobility. Evidence from a study by Innab (2022) supports the association between impaired mobility and an increased risk of falling. According to the researchers, limited mobility is among the top factors associated with falls in most patients. Impaired mobility affects muscle strength, balance, and a patient’s ability to follow safety instructions.
Physical trauma can cause severe pain in a patient thereby affecting their quality of life. The other diagnosis associated with Tina Jones’ symptoms is acute pain. Information contained in the patient’s health history supports this diagnosis. From the given health history, Tina Jones suffered tissue trauma secondary to a laceration on her right foot. This injury causes severe pain which can be rated as 7/10 on the pain scale. According to Althagafi and Nadi (2022), laceration causes acute nerve injuries which are associated with acute pain. The pain is usually severe and can be a source of discomfort to the patient.
Evidence that Supports Treatment Interventions
The use of assistive devices can help to reduce the risk of falls in patients with impaired mobility. In their study, Morris et al. (2022) assessed the evidence-based interventions that are effective at reducing falls in at-risk patients. They found that among other interventions, assistive devices have successfully been used to reduce the risk of falls in patients with impaired mobility. As documented in published literature, the use of opioids is an evidence-based treatment for acute pain. According to Nešković et al., (2021), acute pain can be managed using short-term opioid doses. Patients who have suffered injuries as well as those that have undergone surgery have reported improved pain following the administration of short-term opioids such as tramadol. The effectiveness of tramadol is managing pain is evaluated by measuring changes in pain scores. In Tina Jones’ case, her pain scores should reduce to a value lower than 7/10 with continued medication use. The healthcare provider should prescribe the drugs with caution to prevent the patient from developing opioid dependence.
Conclusion
Nurses gain increased clinical knowledge and expertise by interacting directly with patients with varied health needs. To demonstrate that they are competent and proficient in their roles, nurses should be in a position to conduct detailed health history, collect relevant data, use the data to make an accurate diagnosis, and recommend evidence-based interventions to treat patients’ symptoms. A patient’s diagnosis and the recommended treatment interventions must be supported by evidence from research.
Althagafi, A. & Nadi, M. (2022). Acute nerve injury. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549848/
Benner, F.P.P. R., Tanner, F.P.C. R., & Chesla, D.C. R. (2009). Expertise in nursing practice (2nd Edition). Springer Publishing LLC. https://coloradotech.vitalsource.com/books/9780826125453
Innab A. M. (2022). Nurses’ perceptions of fall risk factors and fall prevention strategies in acute care settings in Saudi Arabia. Nursing Open, 9(2), 1362–1369. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.1182
Morris, M. E., Webster, K., Jones, C., Hill, A. M., Haines, T., McPhail, S., Kiegaldie, D., Slade, S., Jazayeri, D., Heng, H., Shorr, R., Carey, L., Barker, A., & Cameron, I. (2022). Interventions to reduce falls in hospitals: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Age and Ageing, 51(5), afac077. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afac077
Nešković, N., Marczi, S., Mandić, D., Mraovic, B., Škiljić, S., Kristek, G., Vinković, H., & Kvolik, S. (2021). Analgesic effect of tramadol is not altered by postoperative systemic inflammation after major abdominal surgery. Acta Clinica Croatica, 60(2), 268–275. https://doi.org/10.20471/acc.2021.60.02.13