Holistic Nursing Care: A Case Study on Mrs. Black

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

1NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Introduction:
Holistic nursing care aims at providing complete care to the patient so as to
assure complete recovery and wellness (Aust 2013). As mentioned by the American
Holistic Nurses Association, it can be stated that holistic care critically comprises of
recovery across every major life domain (William et al. 2014). The central idea of
care delivery does not remain restricted to providing relief to the patient from the
physical ailment but also focuses on all-round recovery across mental, psychological
and spiritual domain (Aust 2013). It should be noted in this context, that imparting
holistic nursing care includes, taking into consideration the wellness of the mind,
body and soul of the patients. It focuses on reflecting upon the condition of the
patient and accordingly offering assistance so as address the effect of the illness on
the body, mental state, emotions, religion, spirituality and quality of personal
relationships. In addition to this, it should also be noted that, holistic care also
includes considering the social as well as the cultural background and differences of
the patients. It can be said that the quality of care more or less focuses on imparting
individualized care to each patient.
This paper would introduce the key case presentment and critically focus on
addressing the holistic requirements of the client Mrs. Black. It would further provide
a descriptive and evidence based care-plan along with a clear rationale to ensure
positive and holistic recovery of the client in the case scenario.
Key case-presentment:
The case study mentions that the client, Mrs. Black is 66 years old, retired
and stays with her husband and her disabled son in a bungalow. She suffers from

2NURSING ASSIGNMENT
COPD and had been diagnosed 8 years ago. The client’s husband mostly manages
the household chores and the client’s son is assisted with personal hygiene by a
care provider five times a week. At present, the client intakes home oxygen, at 1L via
nasal specs and complains of shortness of breath, lethargy and insomnia. At
present, the medication routine of the client comprises of the following:
 Amlodopine 10 mg O.D Salbutamol inhaler and nebs PRN
 Tiotropium 40 mcg QDS
 Sertraline 20 mg O.D
 Paracetamol 1g QDS
The client has recently been experiencing increased shortness of breath with an
audible wheeze and productive cough. She has been coughing greenish/yellowish
coloured sputum slightly more than the usual quantity.
Medical History:
The patient has been a known COPD patient and had been discharged two
months ago. In addition to this, the medical history of the client, reveals Mrs. Black to
have been a previous smoker. She has also been affected with hypertension and
had been diagnosed with depression, 3 years ago. The client has undergone a left
hip replacement surgery a year ago and has been reported to be allergic to Penicillin
(drug), dust and pet hair.
ABCDE Assessment:
As mentioned by Zuo et al.(2014), on admitting a patient to the hospital, it is
increasingly important to conduct a rapid assessment of the patient in order to

3NURSING ASSIGNMENT
evaluate the level of deterioration of the patient’s critical health condition. The
assessment details are briefed as under:
ABCDE Assessment Details
Airway Patent, short sentences spoken, O2 Sats 85
1L
Breathing Breathless, audible wheeze, RR 28, Temp.
38.0
Circulation BP 156/60, HR 110, CRT 3, Urine output:
has passes small amount of urine since
morning
Disability AVPU alert, Random blood sugar 4.2
Exposure Presence of a small scuff mark on left
buttock
In addition to this, the client was also subjected to skin assessment and
nutrition screening. The assessment details are mentioned as under:
Skin assessment: Water low score 16, skin and body map, wound assessment and
pressure relieving equipment mattress was ordered
Nutrition Screening:MUST (Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool Score: 2), Body
weight: 46 kg, BMI: 18
It should be noted in this context that, after conducting a successful screening
assessment of the patient, the client’s consent was sought prior to admitting her into
the hospital and begin with the treatment process. Another crucial aspect that should
be noted includes the clinical assessment of the client. The client shows reduced
ability to carry out activities of daily living primarily on account of shortness of breath.
Further, the client wears glasses while reading, has no problems related to the
auditory normal functioning, however, gets breathless while framing responses to
questions. The nutritional and fluid intake of the patient has declined because of
pertinent coughing. In addition to this, the patient is seen to have cracked lips and
dry mouth. At present, the client does not experience pain and has normal bowel