Auscultation

From a global perspective, cardiovascular disease is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in most populations 1. In the UK, CVD produces tremendous strain on the NHS and has compelling consequences upon patients, resources and the economic status of health services. Whilst Cancer has recently overtaken cardiovascular disease in leading causes of death in the UK, CVD has not been trailing in terms of mortality, with 28% of deaths in men and 26% in women according to the British Heart…

The comprehensive history and physical examination (H&P) is made up of the following nine major components: history of present illness (HPI), past medical history (PMH), family history, psychosocial, review of systems (ROS), physical examination, laboratory data, problem list, and treatment plan. The HPI section addresses the current problem for which the patient is seeking care for and its chronological development up to the present time. The elements need to be documented are location,…

Assessing the current and historical health history of the pregnant woman directs the appropriate antenatal care, allowing planning of appropriate intrapartum management, whilst preparing postpartum and postnatal care options. Effective antenatal advice provided by midwives’ enables the patient to make informed choices regarding care during pregnancy (3Centres Collaboration, 2012e; Australian Health Ministers’ Advisory Council [AHMAC], 2012; AHMAC, 2014). Reviewing and monitoring progress…

Patient introduction Mrs. S is 45 years old, married, Caucasian female. She was admitted to a hospital for a scheduled cholecystectomy. History of present illness Mrs. S has a history of cholelithiasis, the presence of stones in the gallbladder, and eventually was scheduled for elective cholecystectomy. Cholecystectomy is a common surgical procedure on removal gallbladder, and usually carries a small risk of complications. On the preoperative day, Mrs. S’ diagnostic data was within normal range…

Today was my first day on Female Surgical Ward. The day’s objective was to perform head to toe assessment. Firstly, my preceptor introduced herself and then introduced us to the staff, before reviewing the objectives. After this, we were placed in pairs and went by a patient to perform head to toe assessment. I was relaxed and felt at ease because I had performed a head to toe assessment before, on a patient in Female Medical Ward, and in Simulation Labs. Nevertheless, I was still nervous…

contracture or obstruction to delivery of the fetus, adequate analgesia and an operator who is experienced in these deliveries.5 Traditional methods of monitoring foetal well-being in labour include observations of meconium stained liquor (MSL) and auscultation of the foetal heart. Fetal hypoxia can cause the fetus to evacuate the bowel allowing the meconium to pass into the liquor and also causes the development of deep gasping movements so that the meconium passes into the airways. If this…

History The important and most common cardiac symptoms include having: - Chest pain, discomfort or tightness - Dyspnoea - Palpitations - Dizziness - Syncope The related cardiovascular history including any strokes, peripheral arterial disease, transient ischaemic attacks or peripheral oedema. Chest Pain One of the most important symptoms of heart disease is chest pain as it can be difficult to evaluate. The mnemonic PQRST is used to assess chest pain: Provocative or Palliative: What makes the…

Scenario: 70 year old Male, No fixed abode, currently living in a hostel. Complaint: Feeling hot, Productive Cough (Green) for a duration of 5 days. When a patient first presents to any point of care within the healthcare system, a number of key steps must be undertaken. As the patient enters into the GP’s room, one would introduce oneself by name and their role. This brief introduction would allow the patient, to begin to build rapport within the patient doctor relationship, this is vital as…

The respiratory system is composed by a set of organs that are involved when breathing. The anatomy of the respiratory tract includes the nose, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, bronchi, lungs, alveoli and the diaphragm. There some organs of the respiratory system that are responsible for the process of breathing. The nose, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi, and lungs permit the gas exchange to happen at the cellular level. The air enters through the nose and mouth and it goes into the lungs to…

The purpose of this essay is to demonstrate the ability of a nurse to provide safe and individualised nursing care to Margaret Evans as per the given fictional clinical scenario. She was 45 years old, a single mother and had been working hard to meet the needs of the family. She had a history of smoking. She presented symptoms of cold and cough for more than 72 hours. The symptoms became worse, as she struggled to breathe and was unable to stand on her feet. Therefore, she was rushed to the…