Comfort Objectives Flashcards
Summarize the physiology of comfort.
Relief of pain. Pain is the unpleasant sensory and emotional experiences associated with actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage. Pain is whatever the experiencing person says it is.
Examine the relationship between the concepts of comfort & communication, nursing process, and safety.
Communication and comfort are important because you and the patient will converse about how their comfort levels are. You will utilize the nursing process to help diagnosis and provide care based on sleep needs. Safety will come into play because you will utilize safe medication practices when helping relieve pain and sleep.
Describe the pathophysiology, etiology, & direct & indirect causes of acute & chronic pain.
Acute: Nociceptive pain: results from external stimuli on an uninjured, fully functional nervous system. Temporary pain unless underlying cause not treated
Causes: identifiable tissue injury- surgery, inflammation, traumatic injury
Chronic: Neuropathic pain: caused by nerve malfunction or injuries resulting from trauma, disease, chemicals, infections, & tumors. Consequent spontaneous pain may be due to damage of either peripheral or central nerves. Nociceptive pain often magnified in this type of pain.
Causes: maybe due to cancer or other progressive disorders, tissue injury that is not healing.
Summarize therapies used by interdisciplinary teams in the collaborative care of an individual with acute or chronic pain.
Acute: Pharmacological: opioid analgesics, NSAIDS, nonopioid analgesics
Nonpharmacological: massage, diversional therapoy (music, hobbies, aroma therapy), heat and cold packs
Chronic: Pharmacological: nonopioid analgesics, antidepressants, NSAIDs, muscle relaxants, opioid analgesics, gabapentin for neuropathic pain
Nonpharmacological: guided imagery, massage, nerve stimulation units, chiropractic interventions, physical therapy, relaxation techniques, positioning.
Compare & contrast signs & symptoms for clients with acute pain and clients with chronic pain.
Acute Pain: Elevated BP, Increased heart rate, N/V, sweating, rapid/shallow respirations, anxiety, decreased functions in ADLs
Chronic Pain: depression, irritability, impaired mobility/activity, sleep disturbance
Identify risk factors & prevention methods associated with symptoms seen at the end of life.
Increased confusion or disorientation, increased periods of sleep, decreased food & liquid intake, changes in respiration (Cheyne-Stokes, apnea), mottling of skin, decreased body temp and BP, loss of bladder & bowel control, changes in muscle control, restlessness.
Plan evidence-based care for an individual at the end of life & his or her family in collaboration with other members of the healthcare team.
Palliative Care: Improves the quality of life for patients/families who have life-threatening illnesses by relieving pain and symptom relief, also giving spiritual and psychological support form diagnosis to end of life; may not be actively dying, affirming life and viewing death as normal; if for children then should start with chronic disease at beginning of diagnosis
Hospice Care: Care designed to provide comfort and dignity to patients/families when their illness no longer responds to cure-oriented treatments; doesn’t lengthen life or hasten death, must have been diagnosed with 6 months or less to live; provide emotional, social, & spiritual support for patients/families
Demonstrate the nursing process in providing culturally competent care across the life span for individuals with sleep-rest disorders.
Newborns & Infants: 10-16 hours of sleep, place infants on back to sleep
Toddlers: 8-12 hours of sleep + nap, need nap/bedtime routine
Preschoolers: 9-16 hours of sleep, nightmares are common
School-age: 8-12 hours of sleep, need relaxed bedtime routine
Adolescents: 7-10 hours of sleep, complains fatigue r/t not enough sleep
Middle age: total sleep decrease, avoid sleep-inducing meds on reg. basis
Older adults: 7-9 hours of sleep, safe environment, use sedatives w caution
