Making the Bed and Bathing the Patient

MAKING A BED

1. Why do we need to know how to make an unoccupied and occupied bed?

-As a home nurse, we should know the basics. And one of that is making an unoccupied and occupied bed. By knowing the procedures, it will save more time and make the patient feel more comfortable. Also, it will not be a hassle to the patient especially if you are preparing an occupied bed.

2. How does making a bed help in the fast recovery of our patient?

- A bed should somehow give comfort and soothe the feeling of the patient. When the patient is comfortable with their bed, it somehow alleviates the pain thus making the patient's recovery faster.

3. As a good home nurse, how will you be able to render your services to your patient through bed making?

-Just by making the bed of the patient, I'm already rendering my services to him/her because I'm doing my best in making him/her feel comfortable. Also, as a good home nurse, my job is to change the sheets when needed to just to make sure the patient will not have any problems that may cause rash or any skin problems.


BATHING THE PATIENT

1. Why do you need to give bath to a patient?

-To cleanse, refresh, relax and serves as a form of exercise. Also, it helps stimulate the circulation of blood and to aid in the elimination of certain wastes in the body.

2. What are the materials needed for bed bath and sponge bath?

- The materials needed are the following:
   • 2 big towels                 •a basin with warm water
   •2 small towels               •soap
   •rubber sheet                 •light blanket

3. What's the importance of using a urinal or bedpan?

- A bedpan or urinal is important if the patient cannot move or is expected to be bedridden for a long time.

4. What do you mean by back rub?

- Back rubs can relieve pain, anxiety, stress and relax muscles.

5. How do you differentiate cold compress from hot compress?

- Hot compress is used when there is chronic pain or injury issues with no inflammation or swelling. While in cold compress, it is used to reduce inflammation and swelling caused by an injury.

^Credits to http://www.ehow.com/about_5369873_differences-between-cold-hot-compress.html :*

Keep Calm and be a Home Nurse ♛

1.  If you are a good home nurse, what are the various home nursing techniques that you need to apply that will make the patient feel comfortable and speed up the recovery?

-First of all, you need to have a cheerful personality. This helps the patient feel more comfortable. Second, you have to be attentive and understanding, especially if the patient is an old person. There are really circumstances wherein the patient will share a story to you about his/her experiences. So, as a sign of respect, you also have to engage with him/her. Lastly, a good home nurse should be resourceful and flexible. He/She should easily adjust to the needs of the patient and find ways to answer the needs of the patient.


2.  Why should the home nurse monitor the vital sign of the patient?

- The home nurse should monitor the vital signs of the patient to know the present condition of the patient and to determine any illnesses or diseases. It also serves as a baseline data to conclude medical condition.


3.  How do you take the body temperature, pulse rate, respiratory rate, and blood pressure of the patient?

*Body Temperature
- You can take your body temperature in many locations of your body such as the mouth, armpit, ear and forehead by using a thermometer.

*Pulse Rate
- Locate the pulse. Use two fingers to locate the pulse on the wrist at the base of the thumb.

*Respiratory Rate

1) Sit down in a comfortable position with your stopwatch.

2) Relax until your breathing has evened out. This should take about a minute, but may take longer if you've just been exercising.

3) Start the timer, which you will let run for one minute. If you are using a normal clock instead of a stopwatch, simply note when the minute begins and ends.

4) Count how many times you breathe. Breathing in and then breathing back out counts as one full breath.

5) Stop counting at the one minute mark. The number of full breaths you took in that minute is your resting respiration rate.

6) Look at your results. A resting respiration rate of under 12 breaths per minute is too low, and over 25 breaths per minute is too fast. An ideal respiration rate for an adult is between 15 and 20.

Credits to: http://www.ehow.com/how_5146768_respiration-rate.html ♥

*Blood Pressure

• Sit up or lie down with the arm stretched out. The arm should be level with the heart.
• Put the cuff about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the elbow. Wrap the cuff snugly around the arm. The blood pressure reading may not be correct if the cuff is too loose.
• Put the earpieces in your ears.
• Using your middle (long) and index (pointer) fingers, gently feel for the pulse in the bend of the elbow. This is the brachial artery. You will feel the pulse beating when you find it. Do not use your thumb to feel for the pulse because your thumb has a pulse of its own.
• Put the diaphragm of the stethoscope over the brachial artery pulse. Listen for the heartbeat.
• Tighten the screw on the bulb and quickly squeeze and pump the bulb. This will cause the cuff to tighten.
• Keep squeezing the bulb until the scale on the gauge reads about 160. Or, until the gauge reads at least 10 points higher than when you last hear the heartbeat.
• Slowly loosen the screw to let air escape from the cuff. Let the gauge fall about 5 points a second. Carefully look at the gauge and listen to the sounds. Remember the number on the gauge where you first heard the thumping sound.
• Continue to listen and read the gauge at the point where the sound stops.
• The number of the first sound is the systolic (top number) pressure.
• The second number is the diastolic (bottom number) pressure.
• Write down your BP, the date, the time, and which arm was used to take the BP. Let the air out of the cuff.

Again, I would like to thank http://www.drugs.com/cg/how-to-take-a-blood-pressure.html ♥


4.  What are some practices that the home nurse must follow that will promote comfort to the patient? 

- You need to make a bond with the patient. You need to talk to him/her sometimes and engage yourself with him/her. Eventually, he/she will get use to you and feel comfortable. 

5.  How will you differentiate signs from symptoms of illnesses and diseases?

- Signs are what the doctors see, symptoms are what the patients feels or experiences.
 
6.  If you are the doctor, what will be your basis in giving the diagnosis for your patient?

- If I'm going to be the doctor, I'll base my diagnosis from the information given by my patient.


 Things will not be worse, if you will be a home nurse. BOOM. Vavoo. :*

Laughter is the Best Medicine ;D

    Having too much can be bad. Having less also has some disadvantages. We can apply this in administering medicines to the patient. If we administer the right medicine, their recovery would be much faster. Also, we are keeping them away from harm (overdose of medicine).

   Medicine is considered as one of the most important necessity to all of us. It is important in relieving the pain of the patient, especially if the pain that they are experiencing can't be solved by just making "pahid-pahid" on the area that is painful. In order for us to recover faster, the home nurse or the person administering medicine should know if the medicine is right with the correct amount and at the right time. Administering proper medicine will help us recover faster because if we drink the right medicine, we will really recover. These medicines have something that will fight the disease then you will be okay na. =))

    To end this blog, I would like to say that the right medicine will speed up your recovery especially if you give it on the right time and the correct amount. Also, don't give the patient any medicines, especially if it's antibiotic, if you don't have a doctor's prescription. It may have harmful effects on your body or can worsen you sickness. 

Remember, Health is Wealth. That's it. Babye :*