Hospitalized Patient Experience

Aromatherapy can be used to treat many problems such as nausea, body aches, anxiety, depression, fatigue, headaches, labour pain and hormonal problems (Lane et al., 2011; Medicalnewstoday.com, 2018). Aromatherapy can be used in addition to other medicine practises including those performed by allied health professionals, or on its own (Medicalnewstoday.com, 2018). For example, a study conducted by (Olapour et al., 2013) has found that aromatherapy can provide pain relief to women who have recently had a

Pain is the most commonly reported reason for coming to the hospital in America. It’s causes have a massive variance, and in many chronic cases the root source of pain can not be articulated at all. When a patient reports pain, the role of the nurse, and the whole healthcare staff, is to aim to reduce that pain. In many cases pain reduction can be attained through nonpharmacologic, complementary and alternative methods (CAM). Using CAM to reduce pain is an ideal scenario for both the patient and the healthcare staff as these alternative methods have fewer negative consequential effects.

How well does the average know about the prescription medications they ingest every day? Does one actually need them for something as common as feeling a little anxious sometimes, headache issues that cause annoyance to your daily lives, or even helping someone sleep a little better at night? While some serious circumstances need medical prescribed medicine (whereas the symptoms are quite worth the help), most people are unaware of natural routes.

The relationship discovered in the articles written by Denneson, et., al (2011) and Fletcher, et., al (2016) discuss how the Department of Veterans Affair is studying the significance of using complementary alternative medicine to effectively control chronic noncancerous pain versus the continuous use of opioids. Massage therapy was the most preferred and effective method for management of pain. In the article written by Fletcher, et., al (2016), about 60 percent of the outpatient was taking opioids for management of chronic pain.

Many of us have read about Aromatherapy. Some of us have experienced it. Aromatherapy has found its place within the spa environment, especially in a massage room. If you are reading this article, chances are that you know what aromatherapy is because of its undoubtedly popularity. Yet, the question continues to rise: Does it work? There are still doubts of its effectiveness among the western medical population stating that research continue to insist that there is no substantial evidence of its claims. Meanwhile, Herbalists and professionals under the umbrella of natural medicine continue to embrace this modality and demonstrate its value.

Ascension Hospice medical director has overall medical responsibility for your care, working with your physician and other medical professionals to develop a care plan that meets your specific needs, providing personalized care focused on a higher level of comfort and quality of care. The Medical Director oversees the entire team, as well as the protocol for pain and symptom management.

As one of my nursing instructors would say, “you acted as a prudent nurse would have acted”. You displayed critical thinking skills, nursing judgement, courage, and strength. Great job!

The authors conducted an observational study in a transplant/cardiac intensive care unit (ICU) located at a teaching Magnet hospital in the Southwest of the United States. The researchers examined if changes in the default alarm settings of the cardiac monitors and the provided in-service nurse training would reduce the alarm rate and improve nurses’ attitudes towards alarms. The authors agreed that the complexity of alarm management in the ICU, a lack of unit policies related to alarm management, noncompliance of some nurses with protocols and inappropriate alarm settings may cause the high number of nuisance alarms. Although the researchers achieved a significant reduction in the alarm rate (24%), no positive improvement was found in nurses’

Anxiety and stress have a negative impact on patients in multiple settings. Although this study is focusing on patients in the perioperative setting, patients experience stress and anxiety in various situations. This study can easily be implemented to reflect other health care settings. For example, working in the intensive care unit, numerous patients experience stress related to inability to cope with feelings of helplessness. Sampling ten practitioners limits the generalizability of this study and should be considered for further studies. Implementing supportive measures to reduce anxiety is imperative for optimal healing. The goal of the study determined the practitioners displayed knowledge and experience with vulnerable perioperative

Working as an intensive care nurse (ICU) can be emotionally draining. There is a high degree of uncertainty that can trigger multiple emotions during one’s shift. Therefore, nurses must manage their emotions off the job just as well as on the job. In review of the article, I will discuss some strategies on how nurses protect their own emotional well-being.

In three randomized control trials, similar findings of massage therapy on the reduction of pain were found. In these studies, the control groups received the usual postoperative care which included analgesic administration (Bauer et al., 2010; Braun et al., 2012; Cutshall et al., 2010). The experimental groups received the usual care as well as two 20-minutes massage sessions on two different days. During the 20 minutes when the experimental group received the massage, the control group had 20 minutes of rest time to mirror the time of the massage patients. Visual analog scales were used in all three studies to measure pain intensity. Massage was provided depending on where the patients preferred and the areas of discomfort. It was found that in all three studies, the reduction of pain scores was more significant in the experimental groups as compared to the control groups whom only received rest time and analgesic medications. In one study, the patients’ average pain scores were reduced by 52% after massage therapy in one of the two days of receiving massage while the

Even though more and more intensive care units were being created and critical care nursing was becoming more important, the earlier days of critical care still did not compare to what critical care units are today. In fact, historically ICUs were looked at as frightening places, very mysterious, and every visitor or nurse had to be gowned from head to toe (Vincent, 2013). Also visiting was extremely limited and this caused anxiety for the patients and the family. Nowadays in the ICU the staff is very informative, friendly, and tries to make it as much of a comfortable place as possible. Even though it is still a frightening places, staff usually encourage visitors to visit their loved ones, unlike in the older days when they limit visiting because they thought it was more detrimental to patients then beneficial. We see today that visitors and family involvement is actually very beneficial to the patient’s well-being. Another historic aspect of CCUs is how the nurses address the care of the dying patients and the stress it put on the staff. According to Bryan-Brown (2007)

In recent years complementary and alternative therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, homeopathy, massage therapy, and naturopathy have starting to become popular again to supplement western medications and surgical procedures. For healthcare organization to meet the needs of its patient in this changing environment, it becomes essential to recognize

More than five million patients are admitted annually to the ICU in the United States (U.S.) (Society of Critical Care Medicine, 2005). ICU nurses report that open visitation will increase physiological stress in patients, which can contribute to a variety of changes including increased intracranial pressure, heart rate (HR), or blood pressure (BP). On the contrary, studies indicate open visitation can lead to a decrease in length of stay, decrease anxiety and an increase in patient satisfaction (American

The first concept that I have been having a lot of experience with in the ICU is gas exchange. All of the patient’s that I have had in the ICU have been admitted for an initial issue, then developed respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia while on the floor. I have been able to watch the doctor perform a bronchoscopy and gain an understanding of the respiratory therapists job during this procedure. I have also gained a better understand of the different forms of oxygen therapy. One of my patients had a tracheostomy and was receiving biPAP through the trach, while another one of my patients had a chest tube. All of these experiences have allowed me the chance to gain a better understanding of altered gas exchange and the different ways to