You are making a home visit to an 85-year-old woman who lives by herself. She ha

Question

You are making a home visit to an 85-year-old woman who lives by herself. She has diabetes, is overweight, and has high blood pressure. She has just been discharged from the hospital where she was admitted for congestive heart failure. • What type of questions would be appropriate in making a physical assessment of the patient? • How would you learn about her activities prior to the hospitalization? • Why would this be important? • What observations would be critical in this situation? • What would you do to establish a therapeutic relationship with this patient?

Explanation / Answer

questions in physical assessment:

History of comorbidities and risk factors

Alcohol use and smoking habits

Exertional dyspnea

orthopnea

Paroxymal nocturnal dyspnea

Dysppnea at rest

Pulmonary edema

nocturia and oliguria

fatigue and weakness

cerebral symptoms

Learning about Activity:

Ask for the patient on her daily activity or exercises daily or weekly

Type of exercise or work they are doing

Influence of pain during and after activity

Type of activity and how much activity brings dyspnea in patient

Is dyspnea interfere in her daily activities?

Why it is important:

Knowing about the level of activity and its safeness is necessary to avoid serious complications in cardiac patients.

it helps to be more active with heart failure

helps to avoid overexertion

To aware about how to conserve energy while doing activities

To establish a therapeutic relationship with this patient:

Nurse has to listen to the patients complaints

Build trustworthy, rapport and give respect

Be attentive

Always be open to the patient

Nurture faith and hope

Sensitive to self and others

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