Module 1B: Student Differential Diagnosis Flashcards
What are some of the challenges of the acute care environment for patients?
Physical, psychological, emotional challenges
- change of routine
- lack of privacy/independence
- pain
- potential lifestyle change
- medical crisis
- critical illness/long-term illness
- lack of control
- confusion, fear, anger
What are some of the challenges of the acute care environment for the PT?
Physical, psychological, emotional challenges
- Pt refusal (too tired, bad mood)
- high turnover (working w/ lots of new Pts)
To minimize infection risk, you should always _______
Wash your hands
In most hospitals, a code red indicates a _______
Fire
In most hospitals, a code blue indicates a _______
Cardiac/respiratory arrest or a medical emergency
Needles should never be _______
reused, discarded in trash, or recapped*
Before leaving a Pt, make sure they have a _______ and the _______ are up
call light; top rails*
Leave assistive devices such as walkers in the Pt’s _______
reach
An _______ is one of the most common adverse events in acute care and accounts for increased lengths of stay, cost, morbidity, and mortality
infection
What are some factors that can increase a Pt’s chance of falling?
AKA What are some fall risks?
- Prior falls
- Age
- Polypharmacy (use of multi. drugs at same time)
- Use of diuretics or antihypertensive medications
- Bowel and bladder incontinence (lack of bowel/bladder control)
- Visual acuity (dim lights make it hard to see)
- Presence of lines and tubes (can get tangled)
- Med. conditions such as neuropathy
- Dementia, memory impairment, confusion
When are restraints used?
For Pts who are at risk of injuring themselves or others
Are all restraints physical restraints?
No, there are also chemical and environmental restraints such as sedating medication and bed rails
What are some Do’s of restraints?
- DO tie w/ a slip-knot
- DO tie to an immovable object
- DO rmr to re-tie after PT
- DO notify the team if you feel the Pt is excessively retrained, and vice-versa
What are some Don’ts of restraints?
- DON’T tie too tight
- DON’T leave restraint “tails” hanging during PT
Orders for restraints must be re-written every ___ hrs
24
What are some examples of restraints?
- ankle/wrist ties (P)
- vest ties (P)
- netted beds (E)
- medications (C)
- all bed rails in the raised position (E)
- gait belt (P)
What is orthostatic hypotension, as a cardiac effect of prolonged bed rest?
Sitting or lying down leads to LBP
Pt is constantly lying down during bed rest
What is thromboembolism, as a hematologic effect of prolonged bed rest?
Blood clot obstructs a blood vessel, causing blood to remain stuck in an area
No movement → may make it more diff. for blood to circulate
PT Imp: ankle/heel pumps may help blood flow w/ minimal mvmt
What is ventilation-perfusion mismatch, as a respiratory effect of prolonged bed rest?
Lung receives O2 w/o blood flow, or blood flow w/o O2
Occurs when an airway is obstructed
What is bowel motility, as a gastrointestinal (GI) effect of prolonged bed rest?
No physical movement → no bowel movement in the body
PT Imp: As soon as Pt gets up, they will need to go #2
What is muscle weakness, as a musculoskeletal effect of prolonged bed rest?
Loss of muscle strength/tone, possible atrophy
Pt needs movement to keep strength
PT Imp: Pt may be weaker than they look
What is risk of contracture, as a musculoskeletal effect of prolonged bed rest?
Joints get stiff w/o movement
Muscles don’t want to relax after being stretched in the same position for a long time
What is reduced pain threshold, as a neurologic effect of prolonged bed rest?
Pt becomes more sensitive to a stimulus that wasn’t painful before
PT Imp: be gentle, Pt is more sensitive to pain
What is pressure ulcer formation, as an integumentary effect of prolonged bed rest?
Skin & soft tissue press against hard surfaces for a while → reduces blood supply to that area → forms bedsores/pressure sores
PT Imp: be careful around red areas of skin (skin check)
Critical Illness Polyneuropathy (CIP) is commonly seen in Pts w/…
sepsis, respiratory failure, or multisystem organ failure
What are symptoms (Sx) of Critical Illness Polyneuropathy (CIP)?
- distal extremity weakness
- muscle wasting
- sensory loss
- paresthesia
- decreased deep tendon reflexes (DTR)
The etiology of CIP is unknown but it’s possibly related to…
medication, elevated glucose levels, nutritional, or toxic factors
Critical Illness Myopathy (CIM) is also known as _______
Acute steroid myopathy
What are symptoms (Sx) of Critical Illness Myopathy (CIM)?
- diffuse quadriparesis (mostly aff. LG proximal muscles)
- respiratory muscle weakness
- decreased deep tendon reflexes (DTR)
- sensation remains intact
What is the etiology of CIM?
thought to be a result of high-dose corticosteroids and a neuromuscular (NM) blockade
What are the 4 factors of CIP & CIM pathogenesis (development)?
Microvascular alterations
Metabolic alterations
Electrical alterations
Bioenergetic failure
What are factors of microvascular alterations, leading to the development of CIP & CIM?
- vasodilation (blood vessels widen)
- inc. permeability
- endoneurial edema (exc. accumulation of fluid in interstitial connective tissue of a peripheral nerve)
- hypoxemia* (lack of O2 in blood)
- extravasation (leakage of blood, lymph, or fluid from a tube into tissue)
- cytokine production (T cell, macrophage)
What are factors of metabolic alterations, leading to the development of CIP & CIM?
- hyperglycemia* (high blood glucose)
- hormone imbalance
- hypoalbuminemia (low albumin prod. → fluid can’t remain in blood vessels)
- amino acid deficiency (lack of protein)
- activation of proteolytic pathways (break down proteins)
What are factors of electrical alterations, leading to the development of CIP & CIM?
- ion channel dysfunction
- cell depolarization
- cell inexcitability (can’t generate action potential)
- altered Ca2+ homeostasis
- changes in excitation-contraction coupling* (rhythm can be thrown off)
What are factors of bioenergetic failure, leading to the development of CIP & CIM?
- antioxidant depletion (lose protection against free radicals)
- reactive O2 species (ROS) increase
- mitochondrial dysfunction (can affect other diseases)
- apoptosis* (death of cell)
What is the difference b/t diagnosis (Dx) vs. prognosis (Px)?
Dx is the label/explanation given for relevant signs & symptoms
Px is how well a PT thinks a Pt will do based on age, motivation, etc.
What is Px used for?
Prepares Pt mentally (how well they’ll do, how long it’ll take, difficulty of PT)
Convinces insurance that PT will benefit the Pt (or not)
What is differential diagnosis?
Determination of which disease (out of 2 or more) a client is suffering from
Compare/contrast findings
Provides diff. options
What is the difference b/t signs vs. symptoms?
Signs are observed (skin color, edema, postural findings, atrophy, HR, BP, temp, O2 sats)
Symptoms are reported by the Pt (pain, discomfort, numbness, dizziness, tingling, fatigue, ringing in ears)
How should you structure an evaluation?
Chart Review if avail. (usually avail. in acute care)
Subjective interview
Objective examination
Assessment
Plan
What is included in a Medical Chart Review?
- corner stamp (age/birth date, name, attending MD, admit date, medical record #)
- advanced directives (DNR status is usually written written on outside of chart)
- physician’s report (Hx and physical, Dx, PMH, HPI)
- surgery notes (date, complications, restrictions, how well they think post-op will go)
- medications
- orders (orders for PT, restrictions like weight bearing/fluid/dietary)
- imaging (radiology)
- discharge planning (family support, living situation, insurance)
- lab results
- other disciplines (PT/OT/ST)
- nursing notes (admit eval, vitals, medication, daily routine/visitor, diet, bowel/bladder)
- progress notes
What does a “red” chart indicate?
There are new orders that the nsg staff needs immediately
Keep the chart close to the charge nurse
What does a “yellow” chart indicate?
Orders have been read once but still needs to be noted by a 2nd nurse
May be able to take the chart, but ask first
If not flagged, you may take the chart to the charting area
Can you copy chart materials without permission?
Never, due to HIPAA guidelines
PT can’t even release chart materials to Pts directly, they must go through a process
What is in the History (Hx) portion of SOAP notes?
- date of surgery
- social info
- MD diagnosis
- prior Dx illness/conditions
- restrictions (weight-bearing)
What is in the Subjective portion of SOAP notes?
During eval:
- Pt profile (age, occupation, hobbies, gender, ethnicity)
- Pt comments/concerns
- Pt goals**
- body chart (localize Sx, pain, numbness, tingling, referred/radiating pain)
- Hx of present illness (sudden/gradual)
- past Hx
- Tx that worked (medication, past Tx)
- 24 hr behavior (pain in AM/PM, constant/changing)
- pain level
During Tx:
- pain level before/after Tx
- ex. difficulty level
What is in the Objective portion of SOAP notes?
During eval:
- Vital signs (BP, O2)
During Tx:
- names of ex. performed
- reps/duration of ex. performed
- resistance levels of ex.
- assist. level needed
- modalities/Tx used
What is in the Assessment portion of SOAP notes?
During eval:
- Pt’s major problem (ex: LB pain, radicular neuropathy)
- Differential diagnoses
During Tx:
- Pt progress/status
- Pt goals