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Assignment On Ways Of Knowing

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Ways of Knowing Assignment Purdue Calumet Ways of Knowing Emily is an 83 year old mother of three who was admitted to the ICU for sepsis from a UTI. She has been in the ICU for two days. She has not been intubated during her stay, however her lactate level is rising. She is awake, alert and oriented. Daughter is at bedside. During catheter care using chlorhexedine wipes, she experienced increasing discomfort and complained of a strong burning sensation in between her legs and vaginal area. She was becoming distraught. The Empirical Way of Knowing provided the knowledge that would be relevant for teaching about the use of chlorhexedine glucose products. This teaching was particularly useful because prior research studies have found that CHG may cause skin irritation and anaphyllaxis reactions. The US FDA in 1998 issued a Public Health Notice warning about the potential side effects to health care professionals ("FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA warns about rare but serious allergic reactions with the skin antiseptic chlorhexidine gluconate," 2017) . The irritation was calmed with the liberal use of cool water and a wash cloth, soothing the irritation. Patient and daughter relaxed, both appreciated the simple solution. Daniel is a 39 year old male, admitted to the ICU with end stage renal disease and above the knee amputation from an arterial line that went bad. During his stay his bowels shut down, requiring emergency surgery. They removed all but 83 cm of large bowel. He is septic and now intubated, lethargic, yet follows simple commands. There are multiple areas of of drainage from pulled lines, amputation and surgery. End stage renal disease requires him to be on CRRT, as hemodialysisis no longer an option. Physician's informed the family after the emergency surgery that what the patient had left of his bowels was not sustainable to life. It was explained to the patient as well. The family wants him to be comfortable, but do not want to be the ones to decide on withdrawing care because they do not understand what it means. The Esthetic Way of Knowing allows us to be creative with our knowledge, while being caring and empathetic to each individual's situation. In the article on

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