Nursing: Health Assessment, Patient Care, and Discharge Planning

This nursing assignment explores various aspects of patient care, health education, and emergency management. It covers essential nursing concepts such as patient assessment, diagnosis, interventions, and evaluation, alongside the components of the nursing process. The assignment delves into the qualities of a good nurse, the benefits of health education, and the importance of interpersonal skills and effective communication. It also examines patient advocacy, cultural diversity, and the significance of documentation. Moreover, the assignment addresses risk management, standard precautions for infection control, patient monitoring, and the stages of emergency codes. Discharge planning, medical records, and the evaluation phase of nursing care are also discussed. Finally, the assignment includes a case study involving an elderly patient, identifying actual and potential problems, and outlining plans of action for care and discharge, including psychosocial considerations and strategies to prevent recurrence. The provided solution is designed to aid students in understanding and mastering key nursing principles.

Running head: NURSING
Nursing assignment
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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1. Identify 4 (four) actual and potential nursing care that clients may need assistance with.
Four components of nursing care are assessment, diagnosis, interventions and evaluation.
2. Explain a "health need assessment"?
It is a new term used to describe the development and refinement of well organized
approaches to understand the needs of the common people.
3. What are the typical qualities in a nurse (RN or EN) a client will expect?
Good nurses are the pride of the healthcare institutions and they used to care about the
mental and physical health of the patients. Qualities of a good nurse are
 Caring – Caring, understanding, non-judgmental and has a strong ability to
empathize with patients. To have the capacity to effectively do their obligations,
medical caretakers must have the capacity to keep quiet and think obviously
under these conditions (Lavin, Harper & Barr, 2015).
 Good communication – Good communication skills are a fundamental
establishment for any vocation. Be that as it may, for medical caretakers, it's a
standout amongst the most vital parts of the employment. They must have the
capacity to speak with specialists, patients and collaborators in a quick paced
condition.
 Responsible – Good nurses know how to perform the part of their responsibilities
with the most extreme accuracy and detail. They assume a noteworthy part in
surveying and treating patients' medicinal conditions, and when managing the
wellbeing of another person (Tobiano et al., 2015).
4. List the benefits of health education on the client.
The benefits of health education are:
 Increased patient understanding

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Patient training guarantees that patients are well educated about their own health.
This could mean showing them about the reactions of their condition, examining
their diagnosis, experiencing possible treatment or looking at approaches to keep
their condition from deteriorating (Morton et al., 2017).
 More active approach to healthcare
An educated patient may have the idea to deal with the disease, its side
effects and care. Clearly there will always be some aspects of care that no one but
the professionals can only control, however a few components could the patient
can manage, which would lessen a portion of the weight from the care providers
(Giger, 2016).
 Enhanced motivation and better outcomes
If a patient is knowledgeable about their condition, they will surely know
the points they must keep in mind during their care so that they can enhance their
health. For this situation, patients were taught so that they must reach to certain
medicinal services, which would thus enhance their health more rapidly and
proficiently (Chisholm-Burns, Wells & Schwinghammer, 2016).
 Improved healthcare system
Instructing patients on their wellbeing will positively affect human
services associations. Patient training could lessen the quantity of admissions in
hospitals, telephone calls or visits, which will spare time and cash for both the
patient and the carer (Tobiano et al., 2015).
5. What are the components of a nursing process?
The components of nursing process are:

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 Assessment – Assessment deals not only with the physiological data, but it also
deal with psychological, socio-cultural, spiritual, economic, and also life-style
factors.
 Diagnosis – The diagnosis of a disease is the nurse's analysis of the clinical
condition about the reaction of the patient towards the condition of health or
needs (Giger, 2016). The diagnosis shows that there is some difficulty in the
physical conditions of the patient, also that the difficulty has caused discomfort to
the patient, for instance, nervousness, malnutrition, and fighting in the family, or
some other difficulties— such as, respiratory contamination which is a big risk to
an immobilized patient.
 Outcomes – Based on the assessment and diagnosis, the nurse sets measurable
and achievable objectives for the patient that may incorporate moving for three
times each day; keeping up sufficient nutrition by eating small frequent meals,
settling fights by counselling, or by managing pain (Ignatavicius & Workman,
2015).
 Implementation – Nursing care plan is implemented in such a way so that
continuation of care of the patient while their stay in hospital and the arrangement
for release should be guaranteed. Care is maintained in the patient's report.
 Evaluation – Both the patient's status and the adequacy of the nursing care must
be persistently evaluated and the care plan is modified as required.
6. What is meant by ‘interpersonal skill’ in an enrolled nurse perspective?
In addition to medical knowledge nurses must have some other qualities too which are
known as interpersonal skills. These skills are:
 Listening, an important communication skill.

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 Communication, both verbal and written, is necessary when it comes to a point of
communicating with the patient.
 Patient - Patience is a necessary skill for a nurse to possess for several different
reasons.
 It is necessary to have personal stress management to cope up with the
emergencies and human suffering.
 Sense of humour is the most important thing while working in the nursing
industry.
7. List the factors that can affect effective communication?
Patient barriers include environmental items such as noise, lack of privacy and lack of
control; fear and anxiety, becoming emotionally weak; and other barriers such as an
inability in explaining feelings and attempting to appear strong for someone else’s benefit
(Lavin, Harper & Barr, 2015).
8. Identify the key required characteristics of a nurse when communicating?
Strong communication skills are vital to any profession, but in nursing, they can mean the
difference between life and death. Nurses must be able to help patients understand their
medical issues and give them instructions regarding how to care for themselves. During
communication a nurse must be careful about verifying information, patient education,
cultural differences and body language (Tobiano et al., 2015).
9. Explain ‘patient advocate’?
A patient advocate is a trained professional who serves as a bridge between patients as
well as their family members and representative of the healthcare industry.
10. Define ‘cultural diversity’?
The cultural diversity of patients is a very important issue affecting the work of nurses
consistently. The diverse cultural background leads to the development of diverse sets of

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values, ethical norms and principles, diverse models of behaviour, and so on (Giger,
2016).
11. List the importance of documentation.
Nursing documentation:
■ reflects the client’s perspective,
■ helps in communicating with the health care providers for planning the ways of care
■ is an important part of documents of the patient record;
■ describes the nurse’s dedication in providing safe and effective care
■ demonstrates the nurse’s duty to maintain nurse-client relationship
12. List the components of describing a procedure to a client. Example: Providing a reason
for the procedure
 To discuss the role of the patient in the decision-making process;
 To describe the issue of the patient and suggested treatment;
 To discuss the alternative treatment to a disease.
 To discuss benefits and risks of a treatment
 Assess the understanding of the patient about the given information.
12. Explain the steps of risk management.
The steps of risk management are to identify, analyze, treat, monitor and assure.
13. Explain the standard precautions for infection control.
Standard precautions are established to reduce risk of transmission of infections. The
major components are hand hygiene, facial protection, respiratory hygiene and cough
etiquette, prevention to needle stick injuries, cleaning of the surroundings and waste
disposal (Morton et al., 2017).
14. What is patient monitoring?

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Patient monitoring is an important part of patient care in operating and emergency rooms.
In this care, a monitoring device is connected to the patient for observation patient’s vital
signs.
15. Explain patient care.
Patient care is defined as care provided to patient must be respectful and responsive for
the patients, must give preference to the individual patients, look after their needs, respect
their values, and ensure that patient get proper clinical care (Lavin, Harper & Barr, 2015).
16. Describe the stages of emergency code.
The stages of emergency are defined the colours. They are:
 Code Red – Fire/Smoke
 Code Blue – Medical emergency
 Code Purple – Bomb threat
 Code Yellow – Infrastructure and other internal emergencies
 Code Black – External Emergency
 Code Orange – Evacuation
17. Explain the mechanism of CPR.
CPR is done to restore breathing to provide oxygen and circulation to maintain blood
flow to brain, heart and other organs.
18. Explain the basic criteria in a discharge plan.
Discharge planning aims to improve the care after a patient’s discharge from hospital. It
builds a bridge between hospital care providers and the patient’s family, reduces the
staying in hospital and minimise the readmission in hospital (Chisholm-Burns, Wells &
Schwinghammer, 2016).
19. List the purpose of a medical record.
 To document the history of examination, diagnosis and treatment

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 It helps to create communication
 Helps to provide preventive health services, treatment, planning and delivery of
care.
20. Define nursing care evaluation.
It is the final step of nursing process and is important to determine the patient’s
condition.
21. Enlist the activities in evaluation phase
 Identify the process and standards
 Collection and evaluation of data
 Interpretation and to summarize the results
 Documentation of the results
 Revising the plan of care
22. Explain the four critical components of problem oriented medical record?
 A defined database of information
 A list of problems
 Plans of actions for the problems
 Progress notes for problem
 Discharge summary
23. The following table provides you with the basic data on the emergency colour codes used
in the health and community care settings in Australia. You should understand the code
and respond according to the organizational procedures as an emergent situation arises.
Write the ‘Emergency Situation’ against the Emergency Colour Code and detail the
action to be undertaken as need arises.
 Red - Fire/Smoke
 Blue - Medical emergency

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 Purple - Bomb threat
 Black - External Emergency
 Orange - Evacuation
 Yellow - Infrastructure and other internal emergencies
 Brown – Internal crisis
24. Mrs Julia Pope is an aged woman, who took boarder into her home when her husband
died three years ago. The boarder (Miss Goodey), ten years younger than Mrs Pope
agreed to care for her by cooking and assisting with activities of daily living for the cost
of her board. She also takes Mrs Pope’s entire pension to assist with the running of the
house Mrs Pope ventured out on day and fell. An ambulance was called and she was
transferred to hospital. The Social Worker and Doctors, on investigation following a
home visit and discussion, found that Mrs Pope had no food in the house, and was
chronically malnourished.
It was decided to care for Mrs Pope until she was well enough to return home.
 Identify the Actual and Potential Problems in this situation.
- Mrs Pope had no food in the house and is malnourished.
 With the actual problems identified- plan her care. (Elaborate on one actual
problem)
- To obtain a dietary consult if needed.
- To take some rest before meals
- To maintain a clean environment
- Provide oral hygiene before meals
- To eat small and frequent meals.
- Limit fluid intake with meals
- Increase the activities as prescribed.

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 Identify the psycho-social consequences the Mrs Pope may have experienced
during her association with Miss Goodey.
During the palliative care Mrs Pope had not been treated well by Miss Goodey.
 Identify a plan of action for her potential problems.
- respond to the voices of people
- ensure strong strategic connections
- improve quality across all settings
- increase emphasis on primary palliative care
- grow capability of communities and informal carers
 What would you be planning for her discharge, to prevent the recurrence of this
situation?
- Evaluating the patient by an expert doctor
- Discussing with the patient about his present condition or his representative
about the care to be taken.
- Plan for the discharge from hospital to home or transfer to another care
facility
- To determine whether caregiver training or other support is needed
- Referring the patient to a palliative care agency
- Arranging for check ups and test for near future.

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References
Lavin, M., Harper, E., & Barr, N. (2015). Health information technology, patient safety, and
professional nursing care documentation in acute care settings. OJIN: The Online Journal of
Issues in Nursing, 20(2).
Morton, P. G., Fontaine, D., Hudak, C. M., & Gallo, B. M. (2017). Critical care nursing: a
holistic approach. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Tobiano, G., Marshall, A., Bucknall, T., & Chaboyer, W. (2015). Patient participation in
nursing care on medical wards: an integrative review. International journal of nursing studies,
52(6), 1107-1120.
Ignatavicius, D. D., & Workman, M. L. (2015). Medical-Surgical Nursing-E-Book: Patient-
Centered Collaborative Care. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Giger, J. N. (2016). Transcultural Nursing-E-Book: Assessment and Intervention. Elsevier
Health Sciences.
Chisholm-Burns, M. A., Wells, B. G., & Schwinghammer, T. L. (2016). Pharmacotherapy
principles and practice. McGraw-Hill.