This post is based on the Correctional Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, third edition, published by the American Nurses Association, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care website and the American Correctional Association website. Did you know that Correctional Nurses have the ability to become certified in our specialty? Continuing our review of Correctional Nursing: Scope and Standards of…
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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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