Role of Nurses

PERSPECTIVES ON CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH

  • Impact of Lidocaine and Arrhythmias

    • Lidocaine metabolism influences the potential for serious arrhythmias.

    • Proper dosage adjustments are crucial to mitigate these risks and maximize efficacy.

  • Epidemiological Data

    • Reference to various studies on cardiovascular disease, notably within the framework of aging populations.

    • Statistics from N Engl J Med highlight trends in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality over the years.

  • Clinical Examination

    • Importance of assessing jugular venous pressure and third heart sounds in diagnosing heart failure and related conditions.

    • Various studies cited include techniques for analyzing systolic murmurs as critical assessments in cardiovascular health.

ROLES OF NURSES

  • Nursing Roles Across Different Settings

    • Aged Care

    • Primary Care

    • Acute Care

    • Mental Health

    • Nursing Informatics

    • Emphasis on understanding unique challenges and responsibilities inherent in each specialty.

LEARNING OUTCOMES FOR THIS LESSON

  • Understand the impacts of an ageing population on healthcare services.

  • Gain insights into various care settings and services dedicated to older adults.

  • Explore the roles of primary and community health services.

  • Appreciate the significance of acute care and its encompassing domains.

  • Recognize key considerations within mental health nursing.

  • Examine the integration of nursing informatics into clinical practices.

AGED CARE

  • Significance of Ageing Population

    • Major risk factor for chronic diseases, termed multi-morbidity.

    • Multi-morbidity can lead to functional decline, affecting daily living activities and overall well-being.

AGED CARE SERVICES IN NZ

  • Extra Mural Care

    • Services provided in private homes, retirement villages, and assisted living.

    • Focused support for older adults to maintain independence.

  • Residential Based Care

    • Levels of care include rest home, hospital, and dementia care.

    • Provision of 24-hour care by trained staff includes psychosocial support for families before and after a resident’s death.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND STANDARDS FOR AGED CARE NURSING

  • Essential Knowledge

    • Awareness of healthcare alterations in older persons and their implications across physical, psychological, and social domains.

  • Key Skills

    • Health promotion and education, health maintenance.

    • Management of both acute and chronic illnesses, including rehabilitation and palliative care.

PRIMARY & COMMUNITY HEALTH

  • Definition and Scope

    • Primary healthcare encompasses services outside of hospital settings and spans from pre-birth through all ages.

    • Community-based nursing emphasizes the patient's social environment and its impacts on health.

  • Healthcare Delivery

    • Services address the full health and social care continuum, from health promotion to illness management.

    • Nursing practice within primary healthcare often entails group and population-based care approaches.

  • Integration of Care

    • Transition from strictly illness treatment towards wellness support in healthcare delivery.

    • Role of nurses in facilitating communication across different service domains to ensure continuity of care.

ACUTE CARE

  • Definition of Acute Care

    • Defined as the health system used to treat urgent, often unforeseen medical events that require immediate attention.

    • Involves various healthcare areas, including emergency, trauma, critical care, and urgent care.

  • Contact with Acute Care Services

    • Patients may enter acute care settings for medical urgencies, planned surgeries, diagnostic purposes, or ongoing treatment.

    • Admission may arise from emergency situations, elective surgical procedures, or exacerbations of chronic conditions.

  • Nursing in Acute Care

    • Key responsibilities include recognizing patient deterioration and establishing effective communication and rapport with patients.

MENTAL HEALTH NURSING

  • General Contexts of Mental Health

    • Nurses care for individuals encountering mental health issues across various clinical settings.

    • Mental health problems can arise from temporary stress or as prolonged conditions requiring specialized care.

  • Mental Health Nursing Roles

    • Support for individuals facing mental distress, focusing on care and promotion of mental health.

  • Common Mental Illnesses

    • Include anxiety disorders, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dementia, addiction, and personality disorders.

NURSING INFORMATICS

  • Role of Informatics in Nursing Practice

    • Integration of technology to support nursing, focusing on data management applications and tools.

    • Examples include patient education tools, electronic health records, and medication administration systems.