Patients’ Adaptive Responses to Alterations Caused by Disease Processes

Scenario 1: 2-year-old female who presents with her mother

Pathophysiology

1. Less playful
2. Fussy and unsettled

• Fever on and off

Associated alterations

1. Tympanic membranes reddened on the periphery
2. The throat is erythematous with 4+ tonsils

• Diffuse exudates

1. Anterior cervical nodes readily palpable
2. Anterior cervical nodes tender to touch on the left side
3. Hurtful throat and it is painful for her to swallow, hence the loss of interest in food

Patients’ adaptive responses to the alterations

1. The 2-year old no longer wants to feed and appears less interested in her favourite activities like watching the cartoon.
2. High temperatures that appeared normal after taking dosages of ibuprofen. Unstable temperatures that she had adjusted with the surrounding

• Hot and dry skin due to the high fever she has had for a few days

1. Sleeping all the time to reduce the impact of the discomfort during the day

Diagnosis of the disorder

Treatment for the above disorder includes analysing the level of erythematous in the throat and tonsils (Burns & Grove, 2010). Prescribe the right medication plus one to control the temperature. Check up on the patient after one week to check the progress

Scenario 2: 27-year-old male who presents with redness and irritation of his hand

Pathophysiology

1. Hot hands which feel a little bit uncomfortable
2. Hands are red in appearance and flaky

• Irritated hands

1. Allergic behaviour due to exposure to an allergen

Associated alterations

1. Abnormal physical appearance of the hands
2. Working with abrasive solvents and chemicals

• Patient does not wear the protective gloves used at work

Patients’ adaptive responses to the alterations caused by the disease processes.

1. Applies steroid cream to contain the situation
2. Washing his hands when he felt the discomfort

Diagnosis of the disorder

Treatment for this includes testing the presence of chemicals and abrasives in his hands. After identification of the chemical; give the relevant cream they can apply to reduce the pain (Benner et al., 2009). Advice patient to use gloves at all times to avoid future repetition. The nurse will follow the following mind map to find the solution in the patient’s condition:

Mind Map

A mind map allows the health personnel develop treatment options when presented with a medical case in the hospital (Terry, 2011). They identify the trigger for the condition a patient has and identifies the long lasting solutions through advice to the patient on what they should do to avoid a repetition for such in the future.

Mind Map: the process a nurse goes through before making a medical decision

Figure 1: Mind map in solving nursing problems

Source: Healthcare Mind Maps (2014)

Scenario 3: 65-year-old woman

Pathophysiology

1. Fatigue and loss of sleep at the old age of 65 years
2. Loss of interest in food compared to before

Associated alterations

1. Sleeping late and waking up early due to the mother who needs assistance
2. Restlessness due to the racing heartbeat

Patients’ adaptive responses to the alterations caused by the disease processes.

1. Loss of sleep due to the disrupted normal sleeping patterns
2. Loss of appetite due to the busy schedule in caring for a sick person who needs her constant attention

• Fatigue from the activities in taking care of her mother who fully depends on her for everything

Diagnosis of the disorder

According to Porter-O’Grady & Malloch (2011), the patient experiences fatigue due to daily activities. She also has a mental breakdown due to the unexpected turn of events as the patient states that she did not think she would spend her retirement taking care of her mother; she should hire help to assist her in taking care of her mother. She should also accept the turn of events even though it is not within her expectations. Ultimately, she may need to slow down her activities that trigger the ‘heart racing’, which might lead to a heart attack.