Approach to care
In this case, it appears that Mr. P has some psychological and social problem along with his medical problems. Mr. P is having some difficulty breathing, depression, pulmonary crackles and pitting edema, and hopelessness. He has also expressed that when he receives treatment, he is going to have some financial problems. In order to manage Mr. P’s condition, a comprehensive approach is required but he is also going to need psychological, social, and financial support. He will need to be transferred to other hospital where all of his symptoms can be properly taken care of. A detailed education about the prognosis of the patient and his treatment plan along with emotional support ant dietary counseling is going to help the patient to stick to their treatment plan and the recommendations for the lifestyle changes. A social worker is going to aide with the financial issues for him. A cardiac rehabilitation program can help for emotional support. It is highly recommended for Mr. P to have a nurse that visits his home so that he can have help managing all of his medications (Paul, 2008).
Treatment Plan
The treatment plan for Mr. P is to remove any of the additional fluids in his body because they can cause a myocardial contraction (Monhan, 2007). He is going to need a lot of rest and the proper medications will need to be administrated. The first medication will be concentrated oxygen because it can help to relieve the dyspnea and hypoxemia that Mr. P is suffering from. The doctors will continue to monitor his pulse and heart rate. This means that the doctors will do a X-ray on his chest, an EKG, and a blood test. There are some medications that are used to treat congestive heart failure that include loop diuretics that can remove the excess fluids. Beta blockers are also used to reduce the workload of myocardial. Morphine helps to relieve pain and anxiety. The isotropic agents can increase the level of the heart muscles work. The patient will also need antidepressants for his psychological disorder. It is also going to be a good idea to change his diet with less sodium (Monahan, 2007).
Patient and Family Education
It is very important that the patient’s wife is educated about his condition. This is because he has had many episodes of being admitted to the hospital and the doctors want to prevent these episodes from happening again. He needs to be in compliance with taking his medications and monitoring his daily diet. Therefore, if any of his symptoms get worse, he is going to need to get medical attention immediately (Paul, 2008).
Teaching Plan
There are a few ways that the family can be educated about Mr. P’s condition. There are videos, printed material, and pictures. There is also a list of medications that can be keep in the box with the medications. The doctor’s contact information needs to be placed in a convenient place in case any of his symptoms get worse. Pictures and a list of all of the foods that he needs to avoid needs to be given to the patient. It is also a good idea to tell the patient where the best places are for him to buy the foods that he should be eating. Information should be provided to the patient about support groups and cardiac rehabilitation. The doctor’s office will make frequent calls to the patient to remind him of his check-ups. According to the American Heart Association, when the patient is not educated properly, then there is a higher chance of mortality (American, 2010). Education is the key in preventing Mr. P from being admitted to the hospital repeatedly. The more knowledge that the family and patient has about the disease, the better life that everyone involved in the situation will be. It is very important that the patient adheres to the new treatment plan.
References:
American Heart Association. (2010). About Us. Retrieved on May 18th, 2016, from
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/CPRAndECC/CPR_UCM_001118_SubHomePage.jsp.
Monahan, John F. (2007). Numerical Methods of Statistics. Volume 1. Cambridge University:
Cambridge, United Kingdom.
Paul, Watson J. (2008). Pain Management: Practical Applications. Elsevier Health Sciences:
UK.
