Mrs. Rogers is an 82-year-old patient who has been recently discharged from hospital following a surgical procedure. She lives with her husband who is elderly and has mild dementia. Mrs. Rogers has endured the pain of arthritis for many years and regularly takes Ibuprofen to help control her pain. In addition to this, she also suffers with indigestion and takes Gaviscon twice daily.
Scenario
You are on placement with the district nurse who has a busy morning schedule. The district nurse is due to assess Mrs Rogers’ surgical wound and remove the wound clips. Mrs Rogers says she is glad to see you as she doesn’t get to go out very much and she looks forward to seeing people to talk to, she offers you a cup of tea and seems eager to talk to you.
During the wound assessment, Mrs. Rogers states she has vomited a dark brown fluid and her faeces are black and tarry. She looks worried, but your mentor reassures Mrs Roger that this is probably due to her food.
These symptoms could indicate that Mrs Roger’s has developed a gastric ulcer and has an internal bleed. However your mentor states that “our job is to assess the wound and that we do not have time for anything else”. The surgical wound appears to have healed and the surgical clips are removed, you and the nurse leave Mrs Rogers to attend to the next patient on your list.
Write a 1,500 word essay to discuss the biological, psychological, and social factors relating to one clinical case study from those provided, and examine the role of the nurse in caring for the individual, including the legal, professional and ethical aspects of care. Identify and discuss communication strategies used by the nurse and a health promotion requirement relevant to your chosen case study.
