Clinical Reasoning Cycle for Patient Education of Healthy Aging

The essay discusses the patient education of healthy aging to a 62-year-old man named Mr. Johnson through clinical reasoning cycle. Learn about the importance of healthy lifestyle adaptation to prevent age-related diseases development. Read about the case study of Mr. Johnson and how his lifestyle choices affected his health. The essay also includes the importance of advocating healthy lifestyle, exercise and advising on cutting down the substance of abuse.

Running head: HEALTHY AGING
Clinical Reasoning Cycle
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Introduction
The global population is currently proceeding towards rise of aging demographic. According to
the World Health Organization, the global population will have 22% geriatrics by 2050 (Facts
about ageing, 2014). This condition will create immense pressure on the healthcare industry,
which is why it is important to promote healthy aging amongst geriatric patients. As a nurse, it is
important to advocate for healthier lifestyle adaptation and prevent morbidities. The essay
discusses the patient education of healthy aging to a 62-year-old man named Mr. Johnson
through clinical reasoning cycle.
Discussion
Consider the Patient Situation
The patient came into the emergency unit, complaining that he is having chest pain, difficulty in
breathing and was coughing violently with sputum generation (Miravitlles et al., 2014). I was the
assigned nurse to the patient and when I interviewed him, he complained that his health was
deteriorating. When I asked the patient about his medication regime, he said he only takes
medicines for his hypertension condition. I also asked the patient about his family to which he
said he lives with his wife, has two children who stay out of town but visit him once a month,
and keep regular contact over phone. The patient is a heavy smoker and was previously
diagnosed with hypertension. I contemplated that the cause of his difficulty was Chronic
obstructive pulmonary disorder or COPD (Salvi & Barnes, 2010). I asked the patient about his
smoking to which he confided that he smokes two packets of cigarette every day. From the
interview, I also gathered that he does not adhere to any form of diet and is currently concerned

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about his health. From the interview, I gathered that the patient had started to smoke as a result
of peer pressure in his teenage years and is now trying to quit.
Collect Cues and Information
I arranged for respiratory tests, chest X-ray, CT scan and arterial blood gas analysis. I asked the
person to if he was able to cooperate for the Spirometry test, to which he said he could. This
would show the pulse oximetry, lung volume and diffusing capacity results (Johns, Walters &
Walters, 2014). The chest X-ray revealed that there were signs of emphysema in his lungs and
wheezing. The CT scan also showed positive results for COPD, which helped to started the
treatment process. The arterial blood-gas results showed that pH was normal; the lactate
concentration was a little high, which showed acidic condition in the lung compartment. The
PaCO2 level about 62mmHg, which meant he was a “pink-puffer”, the emphysema has spread in
his lungs and. The PaO2 was also quire low, which meant, hypoxic conditions were prevalent
inside the pulmonary compartment (Al-Kassimi & Alhamad, 2013). There was significant
obstruction in his pulmonary airway passage as indicated by the spirometer.
Process information
The treatment of the patient was commenced as soon as the results were clarified. Oxygen
supplementation was provided to him. Bronchodilators were administered to reduce the
hypertension condition (Make et al., 2012). The condition of the patient improved and he could
speak properly after which the interview was continued to educate the patient regarding the
importance of healthy aging. The patient should be educated regarding the side effects of
smoking, alcoholism and sedentary lifestyle. As a nurse, advocating healthy lifestyle, exercise
and advising on cutting down the substance of abuse (Patrick et al., 2011). The patient can be
taught the importance of healthy diet which will help him reduce his weight and control further

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heart complications. The patient can be taught about the Australian government’s guidelines for
geriatric patients. Bad lifestyle choices from a young age hinder the process of healthy aging
and give place for development of chronic diseases in the old age. Adults can be made aware of
the consequences of their lifestyle choices from early on to prevent hospitalizations due to
chronic diseases (Salmon, Richardson & Pérez, 2010).
Reflection
My experience from this incident was that to understand the importance of good and healthy
lifestyle choices make chronic diseases less prone in the old age when the body’s immune
system is diminished. Mr. Johnson’s smoking habits has lead to the development of COPD
which is a very risky disease if left untreated. The initial condition of the patient was quite
alarming and if his son did not rush him to the emergency unit the patient would have been in
serious life risk. As a nurse it is important to provide the best possible acre for every patient that
comes into the hospital, but it equally important to teach the patient and minimize hospital
readmissions. I advised the patient to adopt light exercises to prevent his lethargy. The most
important intervention was to make Mr. Johnson cut down his smoking. In his age this habit was
deteriorating his health and well being. Thirty-minute moderate aerobic activity would be
beneficial for Mr. Johnson. I made sure to make the patient aware of the National Physical
activity recommendation for elderly provided by the Australian government. I also made the
patient aware of the risks associated with vehicle driving and fall associated risks. Falling is one
of the most important and common causes of hospitalizations among geriatric patients. I noticed
that the patient’ son is also a smoker to which I took it upon myself to include Mr. Johnson’s son
into the interview and education regimen. I will always try to remember to educate my future

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patients regarding the importance of healthy aging to ensure that the risks of chronic diseases
development is checked from early on.
Conclusion
The duty of a nurse is provide care and wellness to a patient to achieve improved health
outcome. It has to be kept in mind that the nursing responsibility goes beyond clinical practice
implementation and techniques. The given case study shows the importance of healthy lifestyle
adaptation to prevent age related diseases development. This can help promote healthy aging,
meaning that the healthcare industry will be less burdened in the future in the current population
is made aware of the healthier choices and the repercussions of their adult decisions.

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References
Al-Kassimi, F. A., & Alhamad, E. H. (2013). A challenge to the seven widely believed concepts
of COPD. International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 8, 21.
Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3553649/
Facts about ageing. (2014). World Health Organization. Retrieved 23 April 2018, from
http://www.who.int/ageing/about/facts/en/
Johns, D. P., Walters, J. A., & Walters, E. H. (2014). Diagnosis and early detection of COPD
using spirometry. Journal of thoracic disease, 6(11), 1557. doi: 10.3978/j.issn.2072-
1439.2014.08.18
Make, B., Dutro, M. P., Paulose-Ram, R., Marton, J. P., & Mapel, D. W. (2012). Undertreatment
of COPD: a retrospective analysis of US managed care and Medicare
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Miravitlles, M., Worth, H., Cataluña, J. J. S., Price, D., De Benedetto, F., Roche, N., ... & Ribera,
A. (2014). Observational study to characterise 24-hour COPD symptoms and their
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Salmon, A. B., Richardson, A., & Pérez, V. I. (2010). Update on the oxidative stress theory of
aging: does oxidative stress play a role in aging or healthy aging?. Free Radical Biology
and Medicine, 48(5), 642-655. doi: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2009.12.015
Salvi, S., & Barnes, P. J. (2010). Is exposure to biomass smoke the biggest risk factor for COPD
globally?. Chest, 138(1), 3-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.10-0645