Nursing Assignment: Palliative Care and Nursing Interventions

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Introduction:
According to Hudson and Aranda (2014), palliative care can be defined as the
specialized medical care that is provided to patients with chronic illness with the aim of
improving their quality of life. Palliative care typically focuses on the provision of relief from
the stress and symptoms of a serious illness (Hudson et al., 2015). The central aim of
providing palliative care is to alleviate the quality of life for both the patient as well as the
family members. This essay intends to discuss the case scenario of Mrs. Brown and identify
two care priorities and accordingly make use of the evidence base to apply appropriate
nursing intervention so as to acquire positive patient outcome.
Discussion:
Upon closely analysing the provided case study, it can be mentioned that the primary
complaint of the client is acute shortness of the breath and increased coughing which has
resulted in limiting her ability to perform physical activities. In addition to this, it has also
been reported that Mrs. Brown had been previously diagnosed with depression and also
experienced panic attacks. Further, she feels that because of her deteriorating health condition
she would become a burden for her family. With the discussed medical history of the patient,
the care strategies would be planned in the subsequent paragraphs.
Identification of care priorities and application of appropriate nursing interventions:
The first care priority for Mrs. Brown would be to manage her shortness of breath. As
has already been mentioned that due to the increased shortness of breath, Mrs. Brown is
finding it extremely difficult to cope with her activities of daily living. In order to manage the
symptom, the nursing goal would be to promote a clear and effective airway. In addition to
this, the nursing goal would also comprise of maintaining an effective breathing pattern for
the patient which would be within the normal established respiratory limits. The nursing

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
intervention would comprise of placing the patient in a proper body alignment so as to
promote maximum breathing. Research studies suggest that a sitting posture with rested back
permits maximum lung excursion which subsequently promotes maximum chest expansion
(Cabral et al., 2015). In addition to this, the nurse would encourage the patient to sustain deep
breaths. This would be done by demonstrating effective breathing exercises. The nurse would
effectively highlight slow inhalation followed by holding in the breath for a few seconds and
then passively exhaling. In addition to this, the nurse would effectively demonstrate the use
of incentive spirometer and encourage the patient to yawn. Research studies indicate that
these breathing exercises promote deep inspiration which subsequently increases the
oxygenation level and prevents atelectasis (Cabral et al., 2015; Cancelliero-Gaiad et al.,
2014). In addition to this, controlled breathing methods have also been reported to promote
slow respirations in patients who are experiencing breathing abnormalities. As stated by
Sanduzzi et al. (2014), prolonged expiration prevents the possibility of air trapping. Also, a
consultation with the physician would be arranged and the patient would be administered
respiratory medication and antihistamines. Beta-adrenergic agonist medications help in
relaxing the airway smooth muscles. Also, the beta-adrenergic medications cause broncho-
dilation which helps in opening the air passages (Sanduzzi et al., 2014). This facilitates
effective breathing. In addition to this, antihistamines have been reported to clear allergic
congestion within the nasal cavity, a condition, also known as rhinorrhea.
The evaluation of the applied nursing interventions would be measure by conducting a
vital assessment of the patient. The success rate of the applied nursing intervention would be
measured by the ability of the patient to demonstrate maximum lung expansion with adequate
ventilation and the respiratory rate would be expected to remain within the permissible
respiratory range.