COPD Symptoms and Impacts †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the COPD Symptoms and Impacts. Answer: Introduction This report aims to analyze the case study of Mr. Polaris who is a 62 year old man and has been diagnosed with chronic pulmonary disease. We have focused on two potential health concerns of the person related to the chronic pulmonary disease and have described why they are of potential concern. two topics regarding which the patient will be provided education by the registered nurse to facilitate self management of the chronic disease. The case have also focused and have provided justification regarding the two appropriate client education strategies that has to be delivered by the registered nurse for a better outcome of the patient. Moreover the actual aim of this report is to understand how self management of chronic diseases like chronic pulmonary disease can bring about improved outcomes in patients. COPD is normally an umbrella term that can be used to describe a variety of progressive lung diseases like chronic bronchitis, emphysema, refractory asthma and few forms of bronchiectasis. It has been reported that many people just overlook the increased breathlessness and the production of cough, as their normal signs of ageing. COPD can turn into adverse conditions if left untreated. George Polaris, is a 62 years old man, has been admitted into the emergency department with increase in shortness of breath. It was reported that he had fever with productive cough. On admission he was being first treated with type IV antibiotic, but later when he underwent a series of tests and examinations, it was found that he is having chronic pulmonary disease (COPD). After being discharged from the hospital he is being followed up at the local GP clinic. George reports to the registered nurse that he has had several episodes of respiratory distress where he was suffering from shor6ness of breath and cough on exertion. It has also been reported that before his admission to the hospital his cough and the respiratory problem turned worse. He has also reported that he had lost weights over the past few months. His current weight is 65 kg, with a height of 178 cms. Past medical history suggests that he had been suffering from respiratory distress for quite a long time. He had a history of gastro-esophageal reflux disease. George said that he was a smoker and generally smokes up to 20 cigarettes a day since he was 14 years old. According to the report George did not have any allergies or alcohol addiction. Current medications include Salbutamol 100 micrograms MDI, 2 puffs as required up to 4 times. Tiotropium 18mcg inhaled by the mouth and Esomeprazole magnesium 40mg. The vital signs includes that his body temperature is 36.7?, which indicates a normal body temperature. His blood pressure is 135/88 mm hg, which indicates a slight high pressure. His pulse beat is 100 beats / minute which indicates a normal heart beat and his respiratory has been reported to be 22 breaths / minutes. In the early stages of the disease, the symptoms may not be properly understood but can develop for years. The symptoms can be understood in the most advanced stages of the disease. The acute symptoms of the COPD are cough with a lot of mucous, shortness of breath. The case study shows that George has been suffering from respiratory problems, since a long time. The other symptom of COPD includes chest tightness and wheezing. Worsening of the COPD may give rise to Pneumonia. A patient having Pneumonia associated with COPD may show symptoms like the fever chills. The report shows that George was admitted with high fever to the hospital which can be linked with the general symptoms of Pneumonia (Asnaashari, Talaei, Haghighi, 2012). All the probable symptoms can be linked with the symptoms of George which indicates that he had been suffering from COPD. Emphysema can also be caused due to the COPD, due to which the air pressure in the alveoli increases. As a result the person feels short ness of breath which increases with time (Suissa, Patenaude, Lapi, Ernst, 2013). According to the case study, George is elderly and is a smoker. He works as a laborer in the construction company and is shortness of breath has worsened. The symptoms had indicated towards bronchitis and he needed a holistic care of approach to treat the conditions. Further as George had been a chain smoker, proper education regarding the ill effects of smoking might create awareness in him, and he might quit smoking. The two potential health concerns for the patient in this paper are mainly smoking and the inhalation of the noxious industrial agents. Smoking- Smoking can trigger flare ups in the COPD. Smoking damage the alveoli present in the lungs and the cell lining if the lungs. A COPD symptom will depend upon the condition of the lungs. The following case study reports that George was chain smoker. So it can be easily estimated that excessive smoking is one of the cause for a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It has been reported that people who smokes cigarettes or who suffer from passive smoking both have got a high risk of developing COPD (Donaldson Wedzicha, 2007). Client education strategies The above case study shows that George has been suffering from COPD for quite a long time, and then also he has not quit smoking. Smoking worsens the situation. Therefore it is very important for a registered nurse to help the client to quit smoking. A registered nurse should impart knowledge about the ill effects of smoking to the patient (Prevention, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among adults--United States, 2011. MMWR. , 2012). She should chalk out proper plans and would help the patient in all possible ways to quit smoking. The patient should be advised to avoid exposure to secondary smoke. The case study provides with the information that George has had several episodes of respiratory trouble (Sedeno, Nault, Hamd, Bourbeau, 2009). The patient can be taught how to use the bronchodilators and to report accordingly to the physician. The patient should be taught to take the prescribed medications that would help him to quit smoking, in due time and report to the doctor regu larly. A registered nurse can take up various strategies to impart knowledge to the patient. One such is providing information about the disease. A workshop can be conducted inside the health care setting taking the elderly patients and the pathophysiology of the disease can be demonstrated. The patients can be taught how to use the nebulizers and the bronchodilators. Self management of the techniques and the tools would help him to get rid of the problems. The patient can be taught the ways to quit smoking (Vestbo, et al., Adherence to inhaled therapy, mortality and hospital admission in COPD., 2009). Medications can be recommended that will help them to quit smoking. As the nurse is dealing with the elderly patients, care should be taken to provide a holistic care of approach to the patient. A patient can develop several self management strategies like eating of well balanced meals, use of the nicotine replacement therapies, eating of low calorie snacks, other stress relieving beverages can be had instead of cigarettes. There are special chewing gums that can help one to quit smoking, although everything should be taken after consulting with the caregiver. As sudden cessation of any kind of addiction without proper preparation may give rise to some adverse effects. A patient should in every way suppress the willingness to have cigarettes. Patient can look over the internet regarding the ill effects of nicotine. A registered nurse can provide proper education to the client regarding the prevention of the clinical condition (Roche, Chavannes, Miravitlles, 2013). A patient can be encouraged to take healthy foods; other beverages can be taken to relive stress other than cigarettes or other addictives. The strategies taken up by the registered nurse for ceasing the smoking habits in the patient would be appropriate as smoking can trigger flare ups in the COPD. Smoking damage the alveoli present in the lungs and the cell lining if the lungs. If the patient can control his smoking habit, it would not cure COPD, but the intensity of the symptoms will get reduced. Inhalation of the noxious industrial agents The case study provides with the idea that the patient works in a construction site, where he gets exposed to a number of chemical fumes and chemical allergens for a prolonged period of time can trigger COPD. Exposure to irritants on the job also makes an individual susceptible to COPD. Lung irritants such as grains, textiles, cement dusts or chemical fumes can trigger the symptom (Agust, et al., 2012). As discussed in the above section, about the two potential health concerns linked to the case study, the clients should be given education regarding the topics in order to self manage the conditions. The job of George also exposes him to dusts and irritants which can increase the intensity of the disease (Association, 2013). The client can be taught to use mask while working at the construction sides to avoid the lung irritants. The case study provides with the information that George has had several episodes of respiratory trouble (Sedeno, Nault, Hamd, Bourbeau, 2009). The patient can be asked to avoid the lung irritants, like paint or the households cleansers that emits chemical fumes. A patient should be taught the use of a humidifier. Humid air helps to loosen the mucus and the coughs of the upper airways (Effing et al., 2007).The patient can be taught how to use the bronchodilators and to report accordingly to the physician. The patient should be taught to take the prescribed m edications in due time and report to the doctor regularly. A registered nurse can provide proper education to the client regarding the prevention of the clinical condition (Roche, Chavannes, Miravitlles, 2013). The registered nurse can teach the patient to maintain a good hygiene like coughing and sneezing on a tissue, use of separate drinking glasses, washing of hand with warm soapy water or alcohol based gel during the unavailability of soap and water. As the nurse is dealing with the elderly patients, care should be taken to provide a holistic care of approach to the patient. Self management to avoid the obnoxious chemicals As per the education provided by the nurse the patient can avoid being exposed to harmful chemical fumes and other lung irritants for a prolonged period of time. The patient can carry face masks to prevent the allergens or should always try to use the mask while working on the construction site. The hydration of the body should be maintained. The patient should take enough fluids to maintain the electrolyte balance of the body. The patient should adhere to the medications that have been provided. Client should definitely use the bronchodilators as and when required. Since, the major problem that this client is facing is related to respiratory distress and cough. Therefore the patient care should be focused on how to prevent this. The knowledge of different exercises and the use of bronchodilators and the humiditors would definitely give relief from the incessant coughing and breathing trouble. Conclusion The above case study and its analysis have helped to provide knowledge about the different types of the chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases. According to the case study, George is elderly and is a smoker. He works as a laborer in the construction company and is shortness of breath has worsened. The symptoms had indicated towards bronchitis and he needed a holistic care of approach to treat the conditions. Since, the major problem that this client is facing is related to respiratory distress and cough. Therefore the patient care should be focused on how to prevent this. The knowledge of different exercises and the use of bronchodilators and the humidators would definitely help him to give relief from the incessant coughing and breathing trouble. Further as George had been a chain smoker, proper education regarding the ill effects of smoking might create awareness in him, and he might quit smoking. The normal pathophysiology and the symptoms have been linked with symptoms that George has displayed. From that it can be concluded that he might be suffering from chronic bronchitis. The essay had provided a vivid description of the interventions that can be taken up to impart knowledge to the patient, regarding the self management of the disease. Looking after the family background and his health condition, the topic aims to provide the possible strategies to impart knowledge to the patient and have concluded that this can be accomplished by setting up joint workshops, where different informations regarding the disease and different demonstrations to self manage the disease has to be demonstrated. Further it can be concluded that proper care, along with pharmacological therapies, good exercises and a proper discharge plan can improve the outcome of the patient and improve their way of living to some extent. References Agust, A., Edwards, L. D., Rennard, S. I., MacNee, W., Tal-Singer, R., Miller, B. E., et al. (2012). Persistent systemic inflammation is associated with poor clinical outcomes in COPD: a novel phenotype. PloS one, , 7(5), e37483. Asnaashari, A. M., Talaei, A., Haghighi, M. B. (2012). Evaluation of psychological status in patients with asthma and COPD. 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