Howard appears to have chronic pain which needs multidisciplinary approach. All clients presenting with chronic pain require an extensive physical evaluation including neurological, cardiovascular, renal and mental status examination to try and identify underlying etiologies and associated features such as decreased overall physical and mental function, depression, sleep disturbances and fatigue (Henry et al., 2017). In addition, Howard complains of previous ulcer problem hence pain medications that cause gastric irritation such as Non-Steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) should be avoided.
Five schedules of controlled substances exist in their decreasing order of potential risk for addiction and dependence according to the united Nations classification of drugs (Uzuegbu-Wilson, 2019). Schedule 1 medications include Marijuana, Heroine, Methaqualone, Mescaline, Lysergic acid etc. Schedule 2 medications are the opioid class, including morphine, meperidine, fentanyl, hydromorphone and barbiturates such as pentobarbital. Schedule 3 medications are easily prescribed and include ketamine and anabolic steroids. Schedule 4 medications include benzodiazepines and tramadol. Finally, schedule 5 drugs are less likely to be misused and include drugs with codeine less than 200mg per 100 ml, pregabalin.
A long-acting narcotic will be a valuable prescription to this patient over the short acting. This helps to improve compliance, reduces opioid overdose and dependence associated with habit forming potential of the short acting drugs.
Howard can benefit from analgesics such as paracetamol and adjuncts of pain management such as corticosteroids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and skeletal muscle relaxants (Weyker & Webb, 2018). For such, advise the patient on the side effects of the above drugs and advise the patient to take the drugs as instructed by the physician.
According to WHO analgesic ladder and opioid crisis, which specifies treatment on pain intensity, Step 1 entails Non-opioid alongside optional adjuvant analgesics, which are recommended for mild pain. Step 2 entail Weak opioid medications alongside non-opioid and adjuvant analgesics, recommended for mild to moderate pain. Step 3 entail Strong opioid medications alongside non-opioid and adjuvant analgesics recommended for moderate to severe pain. For this patient, I would recommend step 2 and even step 3 depending on the response.
Screening tools available include abnormal urine testing and opioid risk tool score. The former being most reliable because the sample is collected from the patient and subjected to laboratory testing (Kaye, 2017).
Substance abuse problem is a complex but manageable condition that affect the brain behavior and function. At first, I will consider a rehabilitation program for Howard. Howard will also benefit from counselling services and behavioral therapies. In addition, I will constantly evaluate his mental status and treat any underlying anxiety and depression. Withdrawal medications and devices for treatment of withdrawal symptoms cannot be ignored. Long term follow-up strategies to prevent relapse is ideal as well (NIDA, 2019).
I will refer Howard to a psychiatrist to try and institute cognitive behavioral and psychotherapy. Howard will also see a neurologist and a physician to assess his neurological health status and prescribe any withdrawal medications.
The use of epidural injections as a way of managing chronic pain permits the use of smaller doses of other analgesics including opioids to reduce their toxicity (Weyker & Webb, 2018). This, therefore means that I will prescribe smaller doses of narcotics to Howard.
Howard can also be given alpha-2 adrenergic agonists such as clonidine, botulinum toxin and neuroleptics such as haloperidol and fluphenazine. Acupuncture, cognitive and behavioral therapy, heat and cold, assistance with vocational training, exercises, music, hypnosis, relaxation and biofeedback techniques (Gokhale, 2017) will all be of help to Howard.
Substance abuse programs for Howard include family therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, group therapy, individual therapy in addition to harm reduction model and inpatient addiction treatment (Miller, 2021). The nurse practitioner must be licensed under the respective state laws to prescribe schedule 3-5 drugs for pain, must have completed not less than 24 hours of appropriate education through a qualified provider and demonstrates the ability to treat and manage opioid disorder through training and experience (“Buprenorphine Waiver Management”, 2021).
The patient enrolled in a medication assisted opioid treatment program requires a consent for treatment, a plan for relapse prevention, a procedure through which the patient can discuss the treatment and doses with a staff at request and a regular assessment.
Advanced Pharmacology Gastrointestinal Drugs DQ 5
As an advanced practice nurse, you will likely encounter patients who will present with symptoms affecting the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Of particular note is the consideration that most symptoms concerning the GI tract are non-specific, and therefore, diagnosing diagnoses of the GI tract requires thoughtful and careful investigation. Similarly, hepatobiliary disorders may also mirror many of the signs and symptoms that patients present when suffering from GI disorders.
How might you tease out the specific signs and symptoms between these potential disorders and body systems? What drug therapy plans will best address these disorders for your patients?
This week, you examine GI and hepatobiliary disorders. You will review a patient case study and consider those factors in recommending and prescribing a drug therapy plan fo your patient.
Rosenthal, L. D., & Burchum, J. R. (2021). Lehne’s pharmacotherapeutics for advanced practice nurses and physician assistants (2nd ed.) St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
Chapter 64, “Drugs for Peptic Ulcer Disease” (pp. 589–597)
Chapter 65, “Laxatives” (pp. 598–604)
Chapter 66, “Other Gastrointestinal Drugs” (pp. 605–616)
Chapter 80, “Antiviral Agents I: Drugs for Non-HIV Viral Infections” (pp. 723–743)
Chalasani, N., Younossi, Z., Lavine, J. E., Charlton, M., Cusi, K., Rinella, M., . . . Sanya, A. J. (2018). The diagnosis and management of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: Practice guidance fro
Gastrointestinal (GI) and hepatobiliary disorders affect the structure and function of the GI tract. Many of these disorders often have similar symptoms, such as abdominal pain, cramping, constipation, nausea, bloating, and fatigue. Since multiple conditions can be tied to the same symptoms, it is important for advanced practice nurses to carefully evaluate patients and prescribe a treatment that targets the cause rather than the symptom.
Once the underlying cause is identified, an appropriate drug therapy plan can be recommended based on medical history and individual patient factors. In this Assignment, you examine a case study of a patient who presents with symptoms of a possible GI/hepatobiliary disorder, and you design an appropriate drug therapy plan.
This week we will discuss the gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary systems and drugs used to treat those disorders. We will specifically focus on nausea/vomiting, gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcer disease, constipation, diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and cirrhosis.
CASE STUDY: Patient HL comes into the clinic with the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The patient has a history of drug abuse and possible Hepatitis C. HL is currently taking the following prescription drugs:
JD presents with signs and symptoms suggesting an upper airway tract infection. However, there is a productive cough with greenish sputum suggesting a lower respiratory tract infection as well. The frontal headache, sinus tenderness, and nasal congestion are classical sinus presentations in acute rhinosinusitis. He thought that these symptoms would subside on their own but progressed instead.
Chest examination revealed bilaterally clear lungs but this does not rule out concurrent pneumonia. A piece of subjective information ruling out chest pain with difficulty in breathing would be needed. A chest plain radiograph finding would be required to rule out lung consolidation as the source of the productive cough. JD’s immune status and presence of comorbidities such as diabetes and hypertension are missing and would be used to rule out the possibility of fungal sinusitis (Husain et al., 2018) in the patient. Information about recent antibiotics use would also be essential (American Academy of Family Physicians, 2020). Nevertheless, JD would require treatment because his symptoms had lasted more than 10 days with postnasal discharge.
JD has had severe sinusitis symptoms for more than 10 days (NICE, 2018) and this warrants medical treatment. The ideal prescription would be Augmentin 875 mg PO TID. Augmentin prevents cell wall synthesis in bacteria while inhibiting beta-lactamase enzymes. Its excretion is predominantly renal with hepatic components for the clavulanic acid. This mediation may cause fatal anaphylactic reactions in those allergic to penicillin (Food and Drug Administration, n.d.).
If JD were a child, say 10 years old and weighing 78lbs, the medication would not change but alterations would be made to the dosage quantities. It would be essential to monitor the patient for allergy symptoms and educate him properly regarding medication adherence. Monitoring his response to antibiotic treatment would be essential in his further treatment.
JD most likely has acute bacterial rhinosinusitis requiring antibiotic treatment due to the severity of his symptoms lasting more than 10 days. The best choice of antibiotics would be Augmentin since he has reported no known food or drug allergies. This medication choice would be maintained even if JD were a child weighing 78 pounds. However, monitoring for possible allergic reaction would be necessary.
Based on Mr. EBR’s presenting symptoms and a history of CAD, he is most likely suffering from stable angina. In addition to the current treatment plan for the patient, I would recommend an ECG to evaluate his cardiac condition. The immediate intervention would be to reduce or eliminate the patient’s anginal chest pain. Further, I would refer him to a cardiologist for stress test and, possibly, cardiac catheterization if needed.
I would not recommend the discontinuation of any of Mr. EBR’s current prescriptions as they crucial in managing his blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and hyperlipidemia. The patient is already on beta blockers which serve to decrease myocardial contractility, in addition to decreasing both heart rate and conduction velocity. Beta blockers also work by reducing the systemic vascular resistance as well as blood pressure (Laurent, 2017). Put together, the medication serves to reduce myocardial oxygen demand, thus relieving the patient’s anginal pain. Aspirin, at a dose of between 81mg and 162 mg per day is recommended for patients with angina as it also serves to reduce mortality rates among those suffering from CAD.
Gabapentin is the preferred medication for diabetic neuropathy among patients with no chronic kidney disease (CKD). With Mr. EBR’s stage 3 CKD, gabapentin is discouraged due to the elevated risks of high toxicity. Further, as Lefebvre et al. (2020) observe, for patients with such comorbidities as CKD, CHF, liver cirrhosis, etc., drug combinations that include renin-angiotensin blockers, NSAIDS and diuretics can result in acute renal failure.
Current hypertension therapy guidelines recommend combined therapies with separate agents or fixed-dose combinations that are more effective in lowering blood pressure within a short time, while at the same time minimizing possible adverse effects. Further, studies have shown that different classes of hypertensive drugs can work to offset the adverse reactions associated with either. Additionally, the fact that most hypertensive patients require more than one antihypertensive agent, more so when there are comorbid conditions, makes it easier to understand Mr. EBR’s case. For instance, for hypertensive patients, particularly those at elevated risks of coronary disease, current treatment recommendation includes diuretics, beta-blockers, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (Cuspidi et al., 2018).
Aspirin, being an antiplatelet agent, reduces the ability of blood to clot. This makes blood flow easier in narrowed arteries. With Mr. EBR’s history of CAD and MI, reducing the risks of blood clot formation in his arteries is crucial to managing his conditions. For this, Aspirin is recommended.
For patients with acute musculoskeletal and soft tissue injuries, the most appropriate treatment choice for pain remains NSAIDs. However, since this patient reports being intolerant to NSAIDs and aspirin, the alternative medication would be a topical NSAID, such as diclofenac. While topical NSAIDs have been subject to extensive studies on efficacy with varying results, Busse et al. (2020) for non-low back musculoskeletal injuries, topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents offer the greatest benefits, “followed by oral NSAIDs and acetaminophen with or without diclofenac.” Unlike ordinary NSAIDs that must be used with caution in patients with a history of GI and Kidney problems, or intolerance, topical NSAIDs are safe alternatives. This is because they have a small amount of systemic absorption and yet offer pain relieving and anti-inflammatory benefits to patients.
Prescribe Diclofenac 1.3% topical system. Diclofenac Topical Dosage (2019) recommends application of 1 topical system to the area with most pain, twice daily, for up to 7 days.
Inform the patient that while this is a topical NSAID as opposed to an oral one, such side effects as GI symptoms may occur. Further, with application on the skin, irritation or rash may occur, prompting the need to notify the provider should it worsen. Educate the patient on proper usage as well, especially on the need to apply it on a clean dry skin, and not to wear the patch when showering. Inform the patient to always secure the patch with tape whenever it begins to peel off.
The patient’s age to an extent influences the choice of treatment. Topical diclofenac is recommended for patients aged >6 years. However, there are no other age limitations associated with this medication.
Metabolism and excretion of NSAIDs occur in the liver and through the kidney respectively. As such, these are the organs that are likely to incur damage. For this reason, it is important to assess liver and skin function prior to administering NSAIDs. Further, as Rakoski et al. (2018) observe, there is need to decrease the dosage when administering the drugs to patients with cirrhosis since they are likely to experience increased unbound drug levels and reduced clearance. Further education should regard patients with heart conditions as they are at increased risks of developing renal insufficiency, hence the need for close monitoring. Also, educate the patient on the risks of fluid retention caused by NSAIDs, which may result in changes in BP. Equally important is to educate the patient on the interaction between NSAIDs and other prescription medications, especially since many drugs tend to interact negatively with NSAIDs.
Taking too much aspirin can affect the liver. As such, it is advisable to monitor LFTs and continually assess the patient for liver dysfunction symptoms and jaundice. Patient education regarding aspirin use should cover self-monitoring of liver dysfunction signs and GI problems, especially GI bleeding (Lavie et al., 2017). To minimize the risks of GI bleeding, recommend the use of enteric coated aspirin. Educate the patient to monitor for such toxicity symptoms as tinnitus, impaired hearing and dizziness. The patient should stop Aspirin prescription immediately upon noticing the said symptoms.
3 Diagnoses for which NSAIDs would be appropriate:
3 Diagnoses for which Aspirin would be ideal:
Cruz-Oliver et al. (2017) defines end of life care as the type of care offered to patients in their final hours or days of life, as well as to patients who are suffering from advanced terminal illnesses or diseases, and whose conditions have progressed to the level of being incurable. Nurses play a significant role in ensuring that this type of health care is available and delivered effectively by performing a variety of small tasks that ensure the patient is cared for holistically.
The most important role of an advanced practice nurse in facilitating Mrs. D’Angelo’s end-of-life care is to identify her needs (Abelsson & Willman, 2020). These needs range from basic dietary requirements to advanced emotional, spiritual, psychological, and even economic requirements. The involved nurse should strive to identify these needs and reason out possible ways to meet them, and if possible, involve Mrs. D’Angelo’s family. These needs can be identified by asking Mrs. D’Angelo about her thoughts on the subject, conducting a physical examination, analyzing her medication profile and allergies, observing her coping abilities, assessing support needs, and screening for implementation needs (Morioka et al., n.d.). By identifying the needs, the nurse in charge is able to plan how to meet those needs in the best interests of the patient.
Making decisions is an important part of the end-of-life process (Abelsson & Willman, 2020). The nurse(s) in charge play an important role in assisting Mrs. D’Angelo in making decisions such as whether to continue or discontinue the current chemotherapy regimen, whether to make plans to receive care somewhere other than at home, whether to discuss her wishes for care and treatment planning with her family, and whether to appoint someone to be her substitute decision maker. This helps in clarifying unsure concerns, avoiding distress or upset, eliminating concerns about negative outcome, helping Mrs. D’Angelo on being sure on what to do next and avoid cases her being preoccupied with the decision made.
Advance practice nurses also play important role in promoting meaningful interactions between Mrs. D’Angelo and her significant others (Abelsson & Willman, 2020). By encouraging Mrs. D’Angelo to make informed decisions, she will find it easier to decide what to discuss with a specific family member or significant other. Time is an important consideration. In the event that she develops advanced pancreatic cancer, which significantly reduces her life expectancy, she can discuss and plan with her family on how to manage the available family resources. By ensuring that the correct information is shared with Mrs. D’Angelo’s family, the family members can interact without fear of losing their loved one at any time, especially if the pancreatic cancer is not in an advanced stage and a cure can be achieved through surgery. This reduces the likelihood of emotional instability interfering with Mrs. D’Angelo’s expected interaction with her significant others.
Advanced practice nurse plays a role in controlling Mrs. D’Angelo’s symptoms and, in the event that she does not recuperate from the adverse reaction to chemotherapy or the cancer, facilitates a peaceful death (Abelsson & Willman, 2020). Nurses first do the assessment of Mrs. D’Angelo before coming up with a nursing diagnosis. They then come up with a plan on how to alleviate the patient’s symptoms before implementing the plan. Implementation includes psychological care, eliminating any form of fear, be it of pain, of feeling meaningless or fear of loneliness and abandonment. I the event that Mrs. D’Angelo’s cancer turns out to be non-curable, the nurses help in ensuring that she is able to make proper arrangements for whoever or whatever is going to be left behind, enjoy her final moments and, live a satisfactory final moments. This help in facilitating peaceful death.
Advance directives, according to Dalmau-Bueno et al. (2021) are legal documents that outline formal preferences on actions that caretakers or doctors should take if the individual’s health deteriorates to an extent that they are no longer able to make appropriate decisions about self. The goal and objectives of advance directives is to ensure patient autonomy during end-of-life care, thereby enabling the caregivers to prioritize the patient’s medical care preferences, which must be within reasonable clinical options. Advance directives come in a various types and include a living will, durable power of attorney, advanced healthcare directive, preferred intensity of care(PIC) form and, do not resuscitate (DNR) order (Dalmau-Bueno et al., 2021).
A living will is a legal document that outlines an individual’s needs and wishes when they are unable to make competent decisions on their own. The living will, unlike the other forms, does not allow the patient to name someone to make decisions for him or her. In addition, unlike the other forms, two witnesses who are not related to the patient are required for validation. A durable power of attorney, on the other hand, is a legal device that allows one person, known as the “principle”, to delegate authority to another person, known as the “attorney-in-fact”, to act on his or her behalf (Dalmau-Bueno et al., 2021).
As a result, the decision is based on what the “attorney-in-fact” believes is appropriate for the “principle”. Unlike the appointed “attorney-in-fact”, the appointed “attorney-in-fact” is limited by their own knowledge of legal matters and finances, leaving room for error. The durable power of attorney is used for financial matters, whereas the advanced healthcare directive is used for medical matters.
The advanced healthcare directive specifies who you want to make healthcare decisions for you and only becomes active if the patient is unable to make decisions or is unconscious. In the event of a medical emergency, the PIC form is typically used to specify what should and should not be done. The DNR order is a form that requests that cardiopulmonary resuscitation not be performed if the patient’s heart stops beating or if he or she stops breathing (Dalmau-Bueno et al., 2021).
Mrs. D’Angelo will need an advanced directive if she wants to legally protect herself from unwanted medical procedures, such as when she does not want to be resuscitated in the event of cardiac failure (do not resuscitate order). In addition, if her cancer is advanced and she is unlikely to recover, the directives may specify the type of care she prefers, such as whether she wants to continue with chemotherapy or discontinue it. Advanced directives will also be useful if she wishes to receive a specific type of treatment regardless of how ill she is. Mrs. D’Angelo will also be able to relieve her family of the need to sit down and make difficult decisions about her care.
The first step is to disclose all information about pancreatic cancer to Mrs. D’Angelo in a way that she understands, including the stage and the options for treatment available (Gieniusz et al., 2018). In the event that the cancer is at an advanced stage, explain to her the terminality of the condition. Also, explain to her the side effects of the available treatment modes. After the above disclosure of information, always give the patient hope, but not false hope. Explain to her the probable outcomes in case of ongoing treatment. Listen actively, assist her with medical decision making and also ensure effective communication with all individuals involved in her care and her family members. If she resents grieving, allow her to finish grieving until she gets to the acceptance phase.
Once she does accept her condition (s) and the possible outcomes, explain to her the prospect of advanced directives and allow her to make her own decision with your help on what she wants about her health and her financial capability. You can allow her to consult with a legal team if she has one. Help her select a directive that is in accordance with her religion, financial ability and, culture or ethnicity. Once she has decided on an advance directive, she can fill out the form in the presence of witnesses if necessary and present it to her advocate or legal team.
Ethical Principles
Beneficence: This is the balance between what is good and what is harmful to the patient (Brodtkorb et al., 2017). The nurse and the involved healthcare officer should make decisions and take actions that will improve Mrs. D’Angelo’s life rather than worsen it. If, for example, the use of chemotherapy causes more harm than benefit in the form of adverse reactions, it can be discontinued and the Whipple procedure performed without initiating chemotherapy.
Autonomy: It is defined as the right of self-governance (Sprung et al., 2019). In this situation, it is allowing Mrs. D’Angelo to decide for herself the type of treatment she is to receive and also have a final say in her financial and family matters. This can be done through advanced directives.
Legal Challenges
Limitation to patient autonomy: Mrs. D’Angelo cannot demand a treatment that is not in their best interests. Further, the intervening doctors and the doctors need not to strive to preserve life.
Withholding and withdrawing treatment: If Mrs. D’Angelo and the doctor agree that there is no benefit of continuing chemotherapy they can stop it (Sprung et al., 2019). The doctor and Mrs. D’Angelo should agree to withdraw or discontinue the chemotherapy prior to the Whipple procedure.
Mrs. D’Angelo is entitled to bad news if her condition worsens and she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. However, there may be some good news in between the bad news, and what is most important is how the advance practice nurse communicates the same news to Mrs. D’Angelo. This necessitates a communication strategy that includes skills for communicating with the seriously ill as well as responding to serious questions with sensitivity.
Upon diagnosing an individual with a serious or life-threatening illness and noticing that the individual is nearing the end of their life, effective communication is critical. As Anderson et al. (2019) notes, good and timely communication can help alleviate stress and distress, in addition to enabling the patient and the caregiver to discuss and plan for advanced care. The best known approach is the 9-Step Approach (Anderson et al., 2019).
To begin, the meeting must be convened. This entails gathering the members of the medical professional and Mrs. D’Angelo’s family in a private and quiet location and having all members introduce themselves to establish a good rapport. Second, it entails reaching an agreement on the meeting’s purpose. Update everyone on Mrs. D’Angelo’s health from your perspective, breaking the news about her health. After that, discuss the decision with the appropriate members. Help anyone who may require emotional or psychological support.
Third, find out what the patient or family knows and assess their level of understanding, language they understand better, potential misconceptions or misinformation, and the last time they were updated. Fourth, find out what information they need to make a decision and show them how much you appreciate them in the process. This includes the diagnosis, likely course of action, and prognosis.
Fifth, share the necessary information with them and try to get them to agree on their common desires in a peaceful manner. Try to evaluate them to discover their goals, hopes, expectations and, fear with the hope of understanding their “history”. Try to address their needs as per their financial capability and for the best interest of the patient. Create a plan for them that include when to break the bad news to them, decision-making and anticipated decisions, and the necessary support to assist them and Mrs. D’Angelo in coping and reducing potential fears. Finally, schedule a follow-up with them, inviting them to share any unresolved concerns and, in doing so, normalize their experience (Anderson et al., 2019)
For various reasons such as unwanted pregnancies and spaced births, people opt for different contraceptive methods. Colquitt and Martin (2017) classify the methods as hormonal, barrier, natural, surgical, and intrauterine or emergency contraception. Due to the diversity of individuals, the choice for contraceptive methods is influenced by various reasons including costs, side effects, availability, and the cultural and religion acceptance (Colquitt & Martin, 2017). This forms the basis of discussion in this paper by inferring to the case study provided.
The options, as aforementioned, are influenced by a variety of factors, side effects being among them. Being that Margaret is at risk for cardiovascular events; contraceptives that do not contain estrogen are recommended. For her case, progestogen-only contraception is feasible. This form of contraception can be in the form of pills or injectable for those who have difficulty with pills (Bansode, Sarao & Cooper, 2020). Further, the Depo-Provera, an injectable progestogen-only contraception confers a 12-13 weeks of birth control and further reduces the risks for premenstrual syndrome (Bansode et al., 2020). The third option for progestogen-only method is the sub-dermal patches (Implanon) that is highly effective and provides long term contraception.
Additionally, intrauterine devices (IUD) can be considered. These devices can either be copper or hormonal; however devoid of estrogen therefore making it safe for the patient. Even though she is separated from her spouse, she is sexually active; she can use cheaper and widely available barrier methods such as female or male condoms. Moreover being that she is approaching menopause, and has two children, an ideal number of children according to the majority (Petrowski, Cappa & Gross, 2017), she can opt for sterilization techniques such as bilateral tubal ligation.
From the health history, use of combined oral contraceptive pills is contraindicated. An absolute contraindication for COC includes circulatory diseases or risk factors for cardiovascular events (Gomez-Tabares, 2020). Margaret is hereditarily susceptible to cardiovascular diseases as both of her parents are hypertensive. Additionally, her paternal grandfather died of hypertension, type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease making her genetically vulnerable. Further, she is overweight (BMI of 28.6) and has systolic hypertension, risk factors for cardiovascular diseases. Moreover, the patient is an active smoker, a habit attributed fully to her stressful life events. Women who smoke cigarettes and use COCs are at an increased risk for peripheral arterial diseases (Gomez-Tabares, 2020).
It is for the best interest of the patient to quit smoking. Concomitant use of COCs alongside smoking is associated with adverse cardiovascular events as aforementioned. Besides the cardiovascular related risks, pulmonary diseases such as lung cancer can ensue. Further, being that she is overweight, education on the importance of weight management and physical activity is crucial. Additionally, the patient reports not to eat well; therefore, nutritional counseling is equally important. The patient leads a stressful life as evidenced by her failed marriage, need to work for extra time and her adolescent sons. She therefore needs counseling from a psychiatrist. Since she is sexually active, safe sex education is necessary should she opt to look for another partner. Finally, regular blood and glucose measurement and breast cancer screening is vital due to her inherent risk for hypertension and diabetes type 2, and the association of breast cancer with COCs.
Even though the pelvic examination reveals normal findings, there is a minimal whitish non odorous vaginal discharge. Use of COCs has been associated with cystitis, a condition that can present with a whitish vaginal discharge (Judge et al., 2018). Further test are therefore required to rule out the condition before contraception is chosen. Further, the whitish discharge can be a sign of a sexually transmitted disease which would contraindicate the use of an IUD (Matorras et al., 2018).In the presence of the STD; an IUD can cause a pelvic inflammatory infection. Treatment is therefore required before IUD insertion
Advanced registered nurse roles with regard to ethical guidelines
Compare two different advanced registered nurse roles with regard to ethical guidelines.
Are there any differences in the ethical guidelines that govern these roles?
What situations might require one role to respond differently, depending on the ethical guidelines?
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Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Advanced registered nurse roles with regard to ethical guidelines
APRNs are a type of nurses who have undergone advanced training and education as well as clinical practice. Licensing nurses has numerous advantages for practicing nurses. Practice guidelines offer practicing nurses the opportunity to focus on the provision of quality healthcare services. Besides, practice guidelines promote rational use of resources by clinical staff. Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines-CPG are unique statements created to help nursing practitioners to make effective decisions concerning the healthcare provided to patients. Today, EBP is a critical part of nursing practice because it impacts the provision of quality healthcare to patients. CPG not only reduces costs to patients but also impacts patient outcomes.
According to the American College of Cardiology (ACC) and American Heart Association (AHA), the best methods for measuring the impact of Evidence-based practice clinical guidelines are through the quality of work provided by nurses. The ACC and AHA assert that the implementation of EBPCG can only work when it is practiced by nurses. The impact factor, in this case, is measured based on the number of citations present in the research or paper. In this work, such metrics provide a reliable and effective method of measuring the impact that clinical guidelines have on scientific research on evidence-based practice. However, the AHA and ACC point out that the growth of analytical tools used in harvesting information from online databases has helped the research on Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines to take a multi-disciplinary approach such as sociological approach, scientific approach, structural approach, and technological approach. The two institutions continue to assert that “most importantly, discoveries in the basic science of AD would be entirely impotent without close collaborations with investigators in translational, clinical, and public health disciplines’ (American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association, 2017). This statement is conclusive and takes into consideration the work of individual nurses as critical additions to research on EVPCG.
According to Victoria and her fellow nurses, this research is the first RCT-based test done to find out the efficacy usefulness of web-based online intervention programs for caregivers compared to face-to-face interventions. According to the authors, the results of the test were a great success because control implementation error was taken care of. The authors assert that by controlling the information viewed by caregivers in a specific schedule. Victoria and her fellow nurses further assert that the contents of the website continued to remain static for the period of the test which further eliminated any errors. According to Garity (2006), the stress in caregivers of people living with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines is the same irrespective of the approach used to educate them. Based on this argument, it is not acceptable for Victoria and her fellow nurses to conclude that their research is 100% fault-free.
Services by APRN nurses are reimbursed through payments from the diagnosis-related group. Reimbursement of nurses follows certain principles of medicare rules. One of the critical principles for reimbursement is that a nurse must meet the credentialing details by the payer. Most importantly, billing must be done using the provider number belonging to the APRN.
Top of the benefits list that made these methods the best fit for use by APRNs is the fact that the APRNs are regulated by a code of ethics that attract punishment if violated. The researcher got the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of the women being interviewed and was able to observe both the subject as well as the environment within which the respondents operated from. The observation was particularly pivotal for this research because it allowed the researcher to observe what was going on rather than just relying on what one has been told by the respondents which may be biased in opinion (Reboussin et al., 2018). These sources also allowed the researcher to be able to narrow down the research to be more specific which in turn helped the researcher to decide the direction of the research and be able to make amendments as necessary before final data could be gathered for analysis. Additionally, these methods were chosen over other methods because they come with a high degree of reliability. They are deemed reliable because the researcher relies on what he has observed and recorded.
For this study, participants were put in two randomized offline parallel groups using a computer-generated list that uses blocking as well as stratification i.e., categorizing the caregivers as either being relatives on non-relatives of the people with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. Each group was given ten-minute training on how to operate the website. Every week, each participant read through an entire session before printing out a questionnaire to indicate how satisfied they were with both the training and the website. The study used stress and coping theory by Lazarus and Folkman as well Bandura’s self-efficacy model to ascertain the stress levels, self-efficacy, burden, and health issues in such caregivers (Cristancho-Lacroix, et al, 2015). The findings did not reveal any significant difference in PSS-14 (self-perceived stress) which means that it still needs further research to bring it to acceptable levels. This pilot research aimed to evaluate what impact the Diapason program would have on caregivers as far as helping them to deal with stress is concerned. The program was meant to offer skills, information, training, and a forum for caregivers to find a valuable platform to help them reduce their stress and burden.
Intention-to-treat analysis was the method used to analyze all available data. Calculations for means and percentages or descriptive data were also calculated for each caregiver as the characteristics found in PWADS. Besides, Victoria and fellow nurses relied heavily on Mann-Whitney tests (popularly called t-tests) as well as Spearman correlations were the main method used for identifying correlations between the variables. Face-to-face interventions allow nurses to control the level of bias which is something Victoria and her co-nurses did not achieve with success in their online-based intervention (Whelton et al., 2018). Furthermore, due to the heterogeneous nature of caregivers, future studies must limit the criteria of inclusion.
The nurses are required to use the best tools and technology in collaborating with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. According to Hughes and his fellow nurses, the number of nodes linked to each cluster especially the major cluster is proof of collaboration between nurses. The nurses do agree that their research lacks adequately in the area of statistical power which could pose problems of efficacy to the research. This notwithstanding, the nurses believe that this research has been largely successful in providing an alternative method for providing information and education to caregivers of people suffering from Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines, especially the informal caregivers. The nurses believe that they have demonstrated with success that online facilitation of caregivers can help them to acquire functionalities such as personalization, flexibility, socialization, and dynamism which are all important qualities in a caregiver given the stress levels associated with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. Furthermore, the nurses conclude that there was a very limited acceptance of the online Diapason program by caregivers which is a pointer to the fact that the program needs to be rolled out in a structural manner that allows the caregivers to be able to interact with other professionals as well as the broader online community.
Caring for people using Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines is cost-effective and increases patient outcomes. Over five million Americans and thirty-five million people worldwide suffer from High blood pressure meaning that these people require some form of caring whether formally or informally. Caring for people through Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines -EVPCG is the best way to combat High blood pressure since people do not even have basic information on how to take care of people suffering from the disease. Caring for people with High blood pressure takes two approaches; formal and informal care. Authors Victoria Cristancho-Lacroix, Jeremy Wrobel, Inge Cantegreil-Kallen, Timothee Dub, Alexandra Rouquette, and Anne-Sophie Rigaud analyze the efficacy and acceptability of web-based educational programs intended for informal caregivers to people with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines using methods of research analysis.
According to Victoria Cristancho and her fellow nurses, the world has seen substantial growth in the number of High blood pressure which presents problems to nations. All of these people require round-the-clock care just to get by. By the year 2017 AHA indicated that over 12 million caregivers gave more than 17.5 billion hours of care (unpaid) which was equivalent to USD 216 billion. Presently, majority of people with High blood pressure are cared for at home by their relatives which has also seen the emergence of chronic stress in such caregivers. Based on this, Victoria and fellow nurses researched to find out if a web-based intervention program for caregivers is just as good as face-to-face interventions.
APRN nurses are a type of nurses who have undergone advanced in further education as well as clinical practice. Licensing nurses has numerous advantages for practicing nurses. Practice guidelines offer practicing nurses the opportunity to focus on the provision of quality healthcare. Besides, practice guidelines promote rational use of resources by clinical staff. Evidence-Based Practice Guidelines-CPG are unique statements created to help nursing practitioners to make effective decisions concerning the healthcare provided to patients. Today, EBP is a critical part of nursing practice because it impacts the provision of quality healthcare to patients. CPG not only reduces costs to patients but also impacts patient outcomes.
According to the American College of Cardiology-ACC and American Heart Association-AHA., the best methods for measuring the impact of Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines are through the quality work provided by nurses. The authors assert that the implementation of EBPCG can only work when it is practiced by nurses and patients. The impact factor, in this case, is measured based on the number of citations present in the research or paper.
In this work, such metrics provide a reliable and effective method of measuring the impact that clinical guidelines have on scientific research on evidence-based practice. However, the AHA and ACC point out that the growth of analytical tools used in harvesting information from online databases has helped the research on Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines to take a multi-disciplinary approach such as sociological approach, scientific approach, structural approach, and technological approach.
The two institutions continue to assert that “most importantly, discoveries in the basic science of AD would be entirely impotent without close collaborations with investigators in translational, clinical, and public health disciplines.’ (American College of Cardiology-ACC and American Heart Association, 2017). This statement is conclusive and takes into consideration the work of individual nurses as critical additions to research on EVPCG.
According to Victoria and her fellow nurses, this research is the first RCT-based test done to find out the efficacy usefulness of web-based online intervention programs for caregivers compared to face-to-face interventions. According to the authors, the results of the test were a great success because control implementation error was taken care of. The authors assert that by controlling the information viewed by caregivers in a specific schedule.
Victoria and her fellow nurses further assert that the contents of the website continued to remain static for the period of the test which further eliminated any errors. According to Garity (2006), the stress in caregivers of people living with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines is the same irrespective of the approach used to educate them. Based on this argument, it is not acceptable for Victoria and her fellow nurses to conclude that their research is 100% fault-free.
Services by APRN nurses are reimbursed through payments from the Diagnosis-related group. Reimbursement of nurses follows certain principles of Medicare rules. One of the critical principles for reimbursement is that a nurse must meet the credentialing details by the payer. Most importantly, billing must be done using the provider number belonging to the APRN.
Top of the benefits list that made these methods the best fit for use by APRNs is the fact that the APRNs are regulated by a code of ethics that attract punishment if violated. . The researcher got the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of the women being interviewed and was able to observe both the subject as well as the environment within which the respondents operated from. The observation was particularly pivotal for this research because it allowed the researcher to observe what was going on rather than just relying on what one has been told by the respondents which may be biased in opinion (Reboussin et al., 2018).
These sources also allowed the researcher to be able to narrow down the research to be more specific which in turn helped the researcher to decide the direction of the research and be able to make amendments as necessary before final data could be gathered for analysis. Additionally, these methods were chosen over other methods because they come with a high degree of reliability. They are deemed reliable because the researcher relies on what he has observed and recorded.
For this study, participants were put in two randomized offline parallel groups using a computer-generated list that uses blocking as well as stratification i.e. categorizing the caregivers as either being relatives on non-relatives of the people with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. Each group was given ten-minute training on how to operate the website. Every week, each participant read through an entire session before printing out a questionnaire to indicate how satisfied they were with both the training and the website.
The study was used stress and coping theory by Lazarus and Folkman as well Bandura’s self-efficacy model to ascertain the stress levels, self-efficacy, burden, and health issues in such caregivers (Cristancho-Lacroix, et al, 2015). The findings did not reveal any significant difference in PSS-14 (self-perceived stress) which means that it still needs further research to bring it to acceptable levels. This pilot research aimed to evaluate what impact the Diapason program would have on caregivers as far as helping them to deal with stress is concerned. The program was meant to offer skills, information, training, and a forum for caregivers to find a valuable platform to help them reduce their stress and burden.
Intention-to-treat analysis was the method used to analyze all available data. Calculations for means and percentages or descriptive data were also calculated for each caregiver as the characteristics found in PWADS. Besides, Victoria and fellow nurses relied heavily on Mann-Whitney tests (popularly called t-tests) as well as Spearman correlations were the main method used for identifying correlations between the variables. Face-to-face interventions allow nurses to control the level of bias which is something Victoria and her co-nurses did not achieve with success in their online-based intervention (Whelton et al., 2015). Furthermore, due to the heterogeneous nature of caregivers, future studies must limit the criteria of inclusion.
The nurses are required to use the best tools and technology in collaborating with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. According to Hughes and his fellow nurses, the number of nodes linked to each cluster especially the major cluster is proof of collaboration between nurses. The nurses do agree that their research lacks adequately in the area of statistical power which could pose problems of efficacy to the research. This notwithstanding, the nurses believe that this research has been largely successful in providing an alternative method for providing information and education to caregivers of people suffering from Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines, especially the informal caregivers.
The nurses believe that they have demonstrated with success that online facilitation of caregivers can help them to acquire functionalities such as personalization, flexibility, socialization, and dynamism which are all important qualities in a caregiver given the stress levels associated with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines. Furthermore, the nurses conclude that there was a very limited acceptance of the online Diapason program by caregivers which is a pointer to the fact that the program needs to be rolled out in a structural manner that allows the caregivers to be able to interact with other professionals as well as the broader online community.
Caring for people using Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines -EVPCG is cost-effective and increases patient outcomes. Over five million Americans and thirty-five million people worldwide suffer from High blood pressure meaning that these people require some form of caring whether formally or informally. Caring for people through Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines -EVPCG is the best way to combat High blood pressure since people do not even have basic information on how to take care of people suffering from the disease. Caring for people with High blood pressure people takes two approaches; formal and informal care. Authors Victoria Cristancho-Lacroix, Jeremy Wrobel, Inge Cantegreil-Kallen, Timothee Dub, Alexandra Rouquette, and Anne-Sophie Rigaud analyze the efficacy and acceptability of web-based educational programs intended for informal caregivers to people with Evidence-based practice Clinical guidelines using methods of research analysis.
According to Victoria Cristancho and her fellow nurses, the world has seen substantial growth in the number of High blood pressure which presents problems to nations. All of these people require round-the-clock care just to get by. By the year 2017 AHA indicated that over 12 million caregivers gave more than 17.5 billion hours of care (unpaid) which was equivalent to USD 216 billion. Presently, a majority of people with High blood pressure are cared for at home by their relatives which has also seen the emergence of chronic stress in such caregivers. Based on this, Victoria and fellow nurses researched to find out if a web-based intervention program for caregivers is just as good as face-to-face interventions.