Nursing Assessment of the Asthma Patient The assessment of a patient with asthma should begin with baseline vital signs, including a pulse oximetry reading. The patient’s lungs should be auscultated, and notation should be made of the patient’s skin color, temperature and moisture. A basic physical examination will also include auscultation of the heart and an abdominal assessment. A baseline peak…
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WHAT IS ASTHMA? Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease of the airways, associated with recurrent, at least partially reversible airway obstruction with intermittent episodes of wheezing and dyspnea. Bronchial hypersensitivity is caused by various stimuli, which affect the vagus nerve and beta adrenergic receptor cells of the airways, leading to bronchial smooth muscle constriction, hypersecretion of mucus, and mucosal edema….
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The Bureau of Justice reports that 15% of persons in prison and 24% of persons in jail reported having thought disturbances. Psychotic patients have lost touch with reality and have unusual thought disturbances such as hallucinations and delusions. Thus, correctional nurses are likely to provide nursing care to psychotic patients during their career. The most common psychotic disorder is schizophrenia, but patients can…
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